The driver responsible for killing 14 people in an ISIS-inspired attack on New Year’s Day by driving into a crowded New Orleans street had initially planned to detonate two explosive devices using a transmitter, according to authorities.
A joint statement from the FBI and ATF revealed that the explosives were placed on Bourbon Street, the scene of the deadly attack by Shamsud-Din Jabbar. However, neither of the devices detonated, and investigators have not determined whether the failure was due to malfunction, lack of activation, or another cause. A transmitter and two firearms were found in Jabbar’s truck and are being tested at an FBI lab.
Federal investigators confirmed that Jabbar used a rare explosive compound in the devices. Authorities are working to determine how he obtained the knowledge to create such a homemade explosive. This compound has not been used in any prior terrorist incidents in the U.S. or Europe, raising questions about how Jabbar acquired the information and materials to produce it.
The attack took place when Jabbar, 42, drove his truck onto a sidewalk, bypassing a police vehicle blocking cars from entering a pedestrian-heavy area during New Year’s celebrations. Police fatally shot Jabbar shortly after the attack.
Jabbar had also set fire to a short-term rental property on Mandeville Street, where bomb-making materials were later found. The New Orleans Fire Department responded to the fire around 5:18 a.m., shortly after the Bourbon Street attack. Although the fire was contained before spreading, it allowed authorities to recover bomb-making precursors and a homemade rifle silencer.
A mourning period for the victims will commence on Monday, with President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visiting New Orleans.
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