Shamsud-Din Jabbar Released a Series of Videos Detailing Plans to Kill His Entire Family

In the aftermath of the New Orleans truck attack, which occurred in the early morning hours of Jan. 1, 2025, details about the suspect continue to emerge. He has been identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a military veteran who reportedly joined ISIS in early 2024, per CNN. The rented pickup truck Jabbar allegedly used to murder 14 people was flying an ISIS flag. He was killed during a shootout with police, bringing the death toll to 15. Dozens were injured.

While searching for a motive, investigators discovered a series of videos Jabbar recorded wherein he pledged his loyalty to ISIS. He also referenced a plan he originally had which involved killing his entire family as well as friends. Evidently, he discarded that idea because he was "concerned the news headlines would not focus on the quote, 'war between the believers and the disbelievers," reported CBS News. Here's what we know.

Jabbar uploaded the five videos to his Facebook page while driving from Houston, where he rented the truck, to New Orleans. He also referenced his second divorce in the videos, and said he planned on gathering his friends and family together for a "celebration," and was going to kill everyone at the party.

Jabbar's younger brother told KHOU that his brother's actions were shocking and devastating for their family. "I just dropped my phone and crawled into a corner somewhere and started crying," he said. Due to an 18-year age gap, the brothers weren't very close but that changed in 2023 when their father suffered a stroke. "He was coming around a little more often to check on him and if it's anything he needed," said his brother, though he shared that Jabbar hadn't been back home in about six months.

According to court records obtained by CNN, Jabbar was twice-divorced and was sued by his first wife in 2012 for child support. He was ordered to pay an amount that would increase as his income did, but that case was dismissed in 2022. In 2020 Jabbar's second wife took out a restraining order against him, which was granted by a Texas judge. He was subsequently ordered to "refrain from threats, physical harm, or other stipulated behavior against his ex-wife and either of their children."

When he was 20, Jabbar was arrested and charged with misdemeanor theft of between $50 and $500 and was required to serve nine months of community supervision. In November 2014, he was pulled over by police who spotted an open container of alcohol in his vehicle. His blood alcohol level was over the legal limit. Jabbar later pleaded guilty to "charges related to driving under the influence." He lost his license for a year and was ordered to pay a fine and do 24 hours of community service.

Regarding his finances, Jabbar revealed in his second divorce filings that his mortgage was more than $27,000 past due and was "in danger of foreclosure." Due to his failing businesses, Jabbar had accrued $16,000 of credit card debt and had lost about $28,000 in 2021. Perhaps he kept this a secret from his family, who are confused by his actions. "He wasn’t going through something that we knew of," said his father Rahim Jabbar to CNN.