New Orleans terror suspect's brother says attack is sign of 'radicalization': report
2025-01-02
Category: america

HOUSTON –&nbsp;The brother of the suspected terrorist accused of ramming a truck through crowded Bourbon Street in New Orleans discussed his brother's religious background in a recent interview and said the attack was an example of "radicalization."&nbsp; Abdur Jabbar, 24, spoke to The New York Times in Beaumont, Texas, where he and Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, grew up, saying they were raised Christian, but the now-deceased suspect had converted to Islam.&nbsp; "As far as I know, he was a Muslim for most of his life," the brother told the Times. "What he did does not represent Islam," he added. "This is more some type of radicalization, not religion." BOMB-MAKING MATERIALS FOUND AT NEW ORLEANS AIRBNB POTENTIALLY TIED TO BOURBON STREET TERRORIST: REPORT A next-door neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told Fox News Digital he had seen Shamsud-Din Jabbar loading up the white truck on Tuesday outside his Houston home, the morning before the attack in New Orleans. He said he spoke with Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who told him he had gotten a job and was moving to Louisiana. The neighbor said he was under the impression Shamsud-Din Jabbar had gotten another job in IT.  "He said he got the job that day in Louisiana," the man said, describing how Shamsud-Din Jabbar was loading "very light stuff, handheld stuff, not heavy stuff" into the truck. "The morning he was moving, I asked him if he needed help moving out, as a neighbor, 'Do you need any help for moving?' He said, 'I'm OK,'" the neighbor told Fox News Digital. The neighbor expressed disbelief upon learning Shamsud-Din Jabbar was accused of the Bourbon Street bloodshed. "Blow my mind, I was shocked, somebody seized the carpet under my feet, I was just like too shocked, unbelievable, 'This really happened?'" the man said. "Like I said, we still don't believe, we still don't believe that that's the person, just there's no way, it can't be like that." The Times reported that Jabbar was known "as a smart, caring brother and a quiet, helpful neighbor."&nbsp; The newspaper also spoke to Chris Pousson, a 42-year-old retired Air Force veteran who lives in Beaumont and went to middle and high school with Jabbar.&nbsp; Referring to Jabbar as "Sham," Pousson described him to the Times as "quiet, reserved, and really, really smart."  The FBI said Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, drove a rented Ford pick-up truck laden with an ISIS flag, weapons and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) into a crowd of New Year’s revelers at approximately 3:15 a.m. local time Wednesday, killing at least 15 and injuring more than 30 others. Authorities said other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter.&nbsp;  Authorities say Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran who recently held a six-figure job, opened fire on law enforcement officers, who returned fire, and was declared dead at the scene.&nbsp;  SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS FBI INVESTIGATES ACT OF TERRORISM AFTER BOURBON STREET ATTACK Shamsud-Din Jabbar at one point was stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and deployed once to Afghanistan, the Times reported, citing court documents.&nbsp; The U.S. Army said Shamsud-Din Jabbar worked mostly as an information technology specialist and was discharged from the Army Reserve in 2020 with the rank of staff sergeant.&nbsp;  Shamsud-Din Jabbar had been married and divorced twice. He shared two daughters, ages 15 and 20, with his first wife, Nakedra Charrlle Marsh, the Times reported.&nbsp;Her new husband, Dwayne Marsh, said Shamsud-Din Jabbar had been acting erratically in recent months, "being all crazy, cutting his hair" after converting to Islam, and that they stopped letting him around the daughters.&nbsp; CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP&nbsp; Shamsud-Din Jabbar's brother said the suspect was also the father to a 6-year-old son.&nbsp;