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The FBI is looking into past visits to Egypt and Canada by the suspect in the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people, officials said on Sunday.
:: FBI handout
The agency also released video taken by the suspect with Meta glasses during previous visits to the city.
The video shows him traveling through New Orleans’ French Quarter, the neighborhood where the attack occurred on Bourbon Street.
The FBI said he made at least two trips to the city in the months before the attack—one in October and another in November—and stayed in a rental home during that time.
:: FBI handout
The FBI said Jabbar traveled to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 until July 3, 2023, and then flew to Ontario, Canada, a few days later on July 10.
He returned to the U.S. on July 13, 2023, the FBI said.
Forty-two-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, was the suspect in the attack that saw a truck ram into a crowd of revelers.
He was killed in a shootout with police after the rampage, which also injured dozens of people.
The FBI has labeled the attack an act of terrorism and says he acted alone.
The New Orleans coroner’s office has identified all 14 deceased victims. The youngest was 18, and the oldest was 63. Most were in their 20s.
Local resident Kristy Nelson was at a memorial on Saturday, paying tribute to a friend who was killed.
“Well, one of our good friends, Elliot Wilkinson, passed away in the tragedy that happened on Bourbon Street the other night on New Year’s Eve…He was fun to be around. He was a great friend. He was great to hang around with. We had good talks. He always had great advice.”
Since the attack, New Orleans officials have faced scrutiny over whether they left citizens vulnerable as crews were removing old bollards and installing new ones.
But neither barrier system would have prevented the deadly attack, according to a source with direct knowledge of the city’s Bourbon Street security planning and a Reuters review of city documents.