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Ironically, the man who committed a horrific Islamic terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, in which 15 people were massacred and another 30 were injured, was a U.S. Army veteran who had received multiple awards during his military career – including a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
MILITARY CAREER: Fox News published a report sharing extensive details about the military career of Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, who drove a rented pickup with an ISIS flag and mowed down dozens of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans while they were celebrating the New Year. He was then killed in a shootout with police immediately after the attack.
Jabbar served in the Army as a Human Resource Specialist and Information Technology (IT) Specialist from March 2007 until Jan. 2015.
Following active duty, he served in the Army Reserves as an IT Specialist from Jan. 2015 until July 2020.
During his tenure, he deployed to Afghanistan from Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010.
During his time in the military, Jabbar’s many awards included: Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign star, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, NATO Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Parachutist Badge, and the Driver and Mechanic Badge.
Here is a photo of Shamsud-Din Jabbar of when he served in the Army.
He served for more than a decade and deployed to Afghanistan before he carried out his ISIS-inspired attack.
According to sources, police found videos Jabbar made where he referenced the Quran. He also… pic.twitter.com/xaHKCnuEai
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) January 2, 2025
FAMILY: In a video posted to YouTube in 2020, Jabbar said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, but was now living in Houston. He touted that he was a professional real estate agent.
Jabbar had been married twice. He was first married to Nakedra Charrlle Marsh, but they divorced in 2012. They had two daughters, now ages 15 and 20.
His second marriage ended as well, with divorce proceedings initiated in 2020, and his wife requested a restraining order against him. They reportedly have a 6-year-old son together, and the divorce was not finalized until 2022.
CONVERSION TO ISLAM: In an interview with the New York Times, Jabbar’s younger brother, Abdur Jabbar, 24, said they were raised as Christian, but Shamsud-Din converted to Islam long ago.
“As far as I know he was a Muslim for most of his life,” the younger Jabbar said of his brother, adding, “What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion.”
About a year ago, Jabbar moved into a rented home in a Muslim neighborhood north of Houston, the Times reported. Police descended upon the home later Wednesday afternoon, as part of their investigation.
CONFESSION VIDEOS: Officials have reported that Jabbar posted a series of videos on Facebook while driving at night, saying he was inspired by ISIS to kill people.
In another chilling reveal, CNN reported that in the videos, Jabbar discussed planning to kill his family and having dreams that helped inspire him to join ISIS.
Jabbar, a US citizen and Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, made reference in the videos to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” with the intention of killing them, two officials who had been briefed on the recordings said. But Jabbar said in the videos that he changed his plans and joined ISIS, and referenced several dreams that he had about why he should be joining the terrorist group, according to the officials.
VOTING RECORD: Fox News reported that Jabbar was registered to vote in Texas, although that state does not list the party.
During his military career, Jabbar lived in North Carolina for a time, and registered to vote there as a Democrat in 2012.
LIVE UPDATES: Who is Shamsud Din Jabbar? What we know about the New Orleans New Years’ terrorist suspecthttps://t.co/0RuPQm4pSx
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 1, 2025
“The suspect makes reference to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family with the intention of killing them. The suspect also talked about how he changed his plans and said that he joined ISIS.” https://t.co/OPl5zFJINb
— Michael Weiss (@michaeldweiss) January 2, 2025
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