Attacker who left a death toll of 14 people visited New Orleans twice before the attack

The man responsible for the truck attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, which killed 14 people, had visited the city on two previous occasions and recorded video of the French Quarter, according to an FBI official on Sunday.

"Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a citizen of the United States from Houston, also traveled to Cairo, Egypt, as well as Ontario, Canada, before the attack, although it is not known if those trips were connected to the attack," said Assistant Deputy Director Christopher Raia at a press conference.

How was the terrorist attack in New Orleans?

The attack, which occurred in the early hours of January 1st, was carried out by Jabbar, a former soldier of the US Army. The police killed 42-year-old Jabbar during a shootout at the scene of the attack on Bourbon Street, world-renowned for its festive atmosphere in the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.

The forensic office cataloged the cause of death of the 14 victims as "blunt force injuries". Around 30 more people suffered injuries. Carolina Giepert, spokesperson for the University Medical Center in New Orleans, said that 13 people remained hospitalized, with eight in intensive care.

President Joe Biden planned to travel to New Orleans with First Lady Jill Biden on Monday to "mourn with the families and community members affected by the tragic attack."

"Violent extremism of domestic origin"

Jabbar proclaimed his support for the extremist group Islamic State in online videos posted hours before he attacked. The attack exposed what federal officials have warned is a resurgent threat of international terrorism.

The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, said on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" on ABC that the country is facing "not only the persistent threat of foreign terrorism... over the past ten years, we have seen a significant rise in what we call domestic violent extremism."

Jabbar reserved the vehicle used in the attack more than six weeks prior, on November 14, according to law enforcement officials.

Jabbar had apparent bomb-making materials in his Houston home, which included a workshop in the garage and flammable materials believed to have been used to manufacture explosive devices, said officials familiar with a search conducted there.

Authorities found makeshift bombs in the neighborhood of the attack, in an apparent attempt to cause more carnage. Two improvised explosive devices left in portable coolers several blocks away were neutralized on site. Other devices were not functional. Investigators said Jabbar bought a cooler in Vidor, Texas, hours before the attack and gun oil at a store in Sulphur, Louisiana.

The researchers who searched the truck rented by Jabbar found a transmitter intended to activate the two bombs, said the FBI in a statement on Friday, adding that bomb-making materials were found in the New Orleans house he rented.