New Orleans attacker who was Shamsud-Din Jabbar

The suspect in the New Orleans attack, which left 15 dead and dozens injured, was a decorated US-born Army veteran who had an unblemished service record, including a Global War on Terrorism Service medal. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, served in the Army for more than a decade and was briefly deployed in Afghanistan from 2009-2010.

It was the same person who drove a rented truck into a joyous crowd at a New Year’s celebration in New Orleans. Jabbar was later killed during a shootout with police. However, what has startled the investigators is the recovery of an Islamic State flag and an improvised explosive device (IED) in the vehicle. The FBI has said it was treating the attack as an “act of terrorism”.