New Orleans truck attack suspect identified as Shamsud Din Jabbar

Investigators have identified Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, as the suspect who intentionally rammed his vehicle into New Orleans revelers early on New Year’s Day, four senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News.

Din Jabbar is accused of plowing a pickup truck into crowds around 3:15 a.m. on Bourbon Street, killing at least 10 people and injuring 35 more.

He died during a shootout with police, officials said.

Witnesses described a terrifying and bloody scene as people attempted to jump out of the way or take cover in nearby bars.

“We heard the truck barrel by as more people piled in,” said New Orleans resident Jimmy Cothran, who watched the carnage unfold from a nightclub balcony.

According to preliminary information, Jabber, a U.S. citizen born in Texas, had a black flag affixed to the hitch of the pickup truck he allegedly drove into the crowd. Officials are investigating whether that flag is related to the terrorist group ISIS, two senior law enforcement officials said.

Officials are looking into at least two improvised explosive devices that may have been planted near the incident area to see if those were actual explosive devices and if they were operable.

A woman who identified herself as Jabbar’s sister-in-law and asked to not be named said relatives in Texas were in shock when they heard the news.

“It don’t make no sense,” she said. “He’s the nicest person I’ve ever known.”

“I really don’t know what happened,” she added. “He was a good man. He takes care of his children and everything.”

She said some family members were heading from Texas to New Orleans.

Federal officials and local law enforcement in New Orleans are investigating if Din Jabbar used a long-gun rifle and fired it into the crowd as he ran people over, three senior law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told NBC News.

“Please join me in praying for the victims and their families, as well as our first responders, in the wake of this horrific act of violence on Bourbon Street,” said Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., in a post on X.