Bourbon Street Jihad Terror: Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s Attack Was Islam in Action, Not a Distortion of It

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, a white pickup truck adorned with an ISIS flag attached to its trailer hitch plowed through Bourbon Street in New Orleans, leaving behind a trail of devastation and grief. The attack, perpetrated by Muslim Shamsud Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen and former Army Reserve member from Texas, claimed 15 lives and inflicted life-altering injuries on 35 others, including two police officers.

This act of Islamic terror carried out in the midst of celebrations, marks a dark turning point for the United States. What began as joy turned to horror, with the FBI now tying the attack to a possible coordinated plot—one that also includes an explosion outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas just hours later.

The Attack: A Familiar Strategy with Catastrophic Results

At 3:15 AM, Jabbar, dressed in full military gear, maneuvered the rented Ford F-150 Lightning through barricades, deliberately targeting crowds gathered to celebrate. Witnesses described a scene of unimaginable chaos as he sped through revelers before exiting the vehicle, armed with an assault rifle. Jabbar opened fire on law enforcement, engaging in a firefight before being neutralized by officers.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were found in Jabbar’s truck and at multiple sites in the French Quarter. Federal investigators later uncovered that Jabbar had rented an Airbnb property nearby, which contained bomb-making materials such as homemade pipe bombs and grenades designed to maximize casualties. These findings highlight the sophistication of his planning and raise questions about potential accomplices.

Hours later, a Tesla Cybertruck rented via the same app, Turo, by 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger of Colorado Springs, exploded outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas, killing one person and injuring seven. Though investigators are still determining whether the two incidents were directly coordinated, the similarities in methods and shared resources highlight the sophisticated planning behind these attacks.

Meanwhile, ABC News reports that Matthew Livelsberger, the Las Vegas explosion suspect, served at the same military base as New Orleans terrorist Shamsud Din Jabbar. The FBI is investigating a connection between them.

Suspect Profile and ISIS Links

Jabbar, who served in the U.S. Army Reserve for a decade before transitioning to a career in real estate, had reportedly shown signs of radicalization in recent years. He is believed to have been discharged honorably from the Army, though investigators are still looking into his military record. An ISIS flag, recovered from his truck alongside social media posts promoting jihadist propaganda, provides damning evidence of his affiliations. His attack mirrors tactics propagated by ISIS, such as using vehicles as weapons of mass destruction.

Flashback: Hoda Muthana’s 2015 Call for Islamic Terror Now Echoes in New Orleans

In 2015, Hoda Muthana, now known as "Umm Jihad," an American-born ISIS member, tweeted:

"Go on drive-bys and spill all of their blood, or rent a big truck and drive all over them. Veterans,… pic.twitter.com/K7mRKjLKJN

— Amy Mek (@AmyMek) January 2, 2025

The terrorist’s brother, Abdur Jabbar, attempted to distance his sibling’s actions from Islam, claiming “radicalization” was to blame. Abdur described Shamsud-Din as a “sweetheart” and “caring” before his descent into so-called “extremism”. However, Shamsud-Din’s public pledge of allegiance to ISIS and his actions during the attack align with jihadist doctrines found within Islamic texts, demonstrating his adherence to their ideological framework rather than any deviation from it. Investigators believe his increasing radicalization culminated in this attack, fueled by propaganda encouraging violence against “disbelievers.”

According to law enforcement sources, Jabbar made a series of videos while driving to Louisiana from Texas. In the recordings, he expressed allegiance to ISIS and detailed plans to kill members of his family under the guise of a fake celebration.

His military background—serving from 2007 to 2020, including a deployment to Afghanistan—involved HR and IT roles, not direct combat. His increasing radicalization, which authorities link to the Israel-Hamas war, appears to have culminated in this attack.

As reported by RAIR Foundation USA, this attack also highlights the corrosive impact of government policies that prioritize avoiding “Islamophobia” over national security. Under the Biden administration, intelligence agencies have been pressured to sanitize language about Islamic jihadist threats, diluting their ability to respond effectively.

Failures in Prevention: A National Security Crisis

The Bourbon Street Islamic attack highlights glaring vulnerabilities in America’s ability to prevent jihadist terrorism. Jabbar used the Turo app to rent the Ford F-150 Lightning in Houston, driving it to New Orleans just days before the attack. Despite signs of radicalization and surveillance videos suggesting possible accomplices, gaps in intelligence-sharing and inter-agency communication allowed the attack to proceed.

Surveillance footage has revealed potential accomplices planting devices in advance, suggesting a larger coordinated effort. The lack of physical barriers on Bourbon Street further enabled this attack, exposing critical oversights in urban security planning.

A Broader Threat

The Bourbon Street attack is not an isolated incident. From the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 to the bike path massacre in New York City in 2017, the U.S. has repeatedly faced jihadist attacks exploiting everyday vulnerabilities. Though territorially defeated, ISIS remains a potent ideological force, inspiring decentralized networks capable of high-profile attacks with minimal resources.

Demanding Action: A Call for Leadership

The terror attack in New Orleans and Las Vegas should serve as a wake-up call for America’s leaders. As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, he must prioritize addressing the nation’s vulnerabilities. This includes tightening border security, disrupting online Islamic terror pipelines, educating law enforcement on recognizing and countering Islamic threats, and implementing robust monitoring and vetting procedures.

Securing public spaces, real-time threat detection technologies, and monitoring mosques and Islamic terror-tied organizations must also become a priority. Furthermore, intelligence-sharing between federal, state, and local agencies must be streamlined to ensure swift and effective responses to emerging threats.

The shattered streets of Bourbon Street and the charred remains outside the Trump Hotel are more than scenes of tragedy; they are a glaring reminder of the need for decisive action. RAIR Foundation USA emphasizes that America must reject cowardice and the whitewashing of threats. Instead, it must boldly name and confront the enemy—Islam—and address the dangers without hesitation.

America cannot afford complacency. The fight against Islamist terrorism is far from over, and the stakes have never been higher.