ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON
Two separate attacks by former US military personnel left multiple casualties across America this week, with investigators revealing that both the suspects had extensive service records.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a former US Army staff sergeant, drove a truck through crowds in New Orleans' tourist district on Wednesday, killing 15 and injuring 35 others, the FBI said.
He was killed during an exchange of gunfire with responding police officers, the FBI added.
Jabbar served in the US Army as a human resource and information technology specialist from 2007 to 2015, with a deployment to Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010, as per media reports. He later served in the Army Reserves until 2020 and "had an honorable discharge," according to reports.
Jabbar also earned a computer information systems degree from Georgia State University and worked as a real estate agent in Texas, along with having his licenses for hunting and fishing.
He was also reported to have owned Blue Meadow Properties, a property management company in Texas. Anadolu contacted the company for comment but has received no response by the time of publication.
In a promotional video posted to YouTube in 2020, Jabbar said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas.
Stressing that his years in the military taught him the value of great service, he said, "I've taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel like what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to one be a fierce negotiator."
Reports suggest he also had prior brushes with the law, including misdemeanor theft in 2002 and driving with an invalid license in 2005.
Court records show two marriages ending in divorce, the latest in 2022.
According to several media reports, friends and family have expressed disbelief regarding his actions, describing him as kind and disciplined. However, his latest wife suggested he has changed in a bad way in recent months, causing her to stop letting his daughters visit him.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, President Joe Biden said the FBI discovered that just hours before the attack, Jabbar "posted videos to social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill."
Separately, Biden directed his administration to "ensure every resource is available as federal, state, and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind."
According to the media reports, Jabbar had posted several videos to his Facebook account on Tuesday evening, in which he "pledged allegiance to ISIS."
While FBI officials are still investigating the motive for the attack, they believe that Jabbar "was not solely responsible."
"We are aggressively running down every lead, including those of his known associates," FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan said on Wednesday.
Potential link investigated
In a separate incident in Las Vegas, a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside Trump International Hotel killed one person and injured seven others.
Media reports identified the suspect as Matthew Livelsberger, 37, allegedly another military veteran “Green Beret,” working on small unmanned aircraft systems, though his identity remains unconfirmed by officials.
The suspect died in the explosion outside the hotel.
According to an unverified LinkedIn profile that has since been deleted, the suspect served 19 years in the US Army, including roles as a Special Forces Communications Specialist and Intelligence Specialist.
The profile indicated he graduated from Norwich University, a private military college in Vermont, northeast US.
Local media reported Livelsberger had multiple addresses in Colorado Springs, and law enforcement started an investigation there.
US authorities are investigating a potential link between a Cybertruck explosion and the pickup truck attack in New Orleans, Biden said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also suggested a possible connection between the two incidents, with both vehicles reportedly rented via the same app.
Following the explosion, Musk said, "The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. (The) Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken."
Law enforcement officials have not ruled out terrorism as a possible motive, according to the local media.
