New Orleans attack: Shamsud-Din Jabbar visited French Quarter twice, recorded videos
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Houston, also travelled to Cairo, Egypt, as well as Ontario, Canada, before the attack.
The man responsible for the truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people on New Year's Day had visited the city twice before and recorded video of the French Quarter with hands-free glasses, the FBI has said.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Houston, also travelled to Cairo, Egypt, as well as Ontario, Canada, before the attack. However, according to the FBI, it is not clear whether his trips abroad were connected to the attack.
"We have also tracked that Jabbar travelled to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 until July 3 of 2023. A few days later, he flew to Ontario, Canada, on July 10 and returned to the US on July 13 of 2023," Lyonel Myrthil, FBI special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, said at a press briefing, according to Reuters.
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"Our agents are getting answers as to where he went, who he met with and how those trips may or may not tie into his actions in our city in New Orleans," he added.
Jabbar, who the FBI says pledged loyalty to the Islamic State jihadist group, used a pickup truck to kill and wound revellers in New Orleans's crowded French Quarter on New Year's Day, before being killed by police.
Fourteen people were killed, and about 30 other people suffered injuries in the attack.
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The New Orleans attack coincided with a high-profile incident in Las Vegas a few hours later, where a Tesla Cybertruck blew up outside the Trump International Hotel, killing the driver.
Jabbar proclaimed his support for the Islamic State militant group in online videos posted hours before he struck. It was the deadliest IS-inspired assault on US soil in years, laying bare what federal officials have warned is a resurgent international terrorism threat.