“Precursor chemicals” were found in the Houston-area trailer Shamsud-Din Jabbar lived in. He’s the man responsible for the deadly Bourbon Street attack on New Year’s Day.
On Friday, FBI New Orleans confirmed to KPRC 2′s Bryce Newberry that investigators found the chemicals at Jabbar’s property.
During the FBI raid of Jabbar’s trailer in north Harris County, which started Wednesday night and lasted into Thursday morning, investigators found materials used to make explosives. Investigators also found two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in New Orleans after the attack.
They were both in coolers, according to the FBI. One was found at the cross-section of Bourbon Street and Orleans Street. The second device was at the intersection of Bourbon Street and Toulouse Street. Both were “rendered safe,” according to the FBI. Jabbar was captured on surveillance cameras placing those IEDs.
A source familiar with the investigation also told KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry that Jabbar stopped at a fast-food restaurant off I-45 Monday.
Here is a transcript of the FBI’s update Thursday morning on the New Orleans Bourbon Street Attack:
Good morning. I am FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia from the Counterterrorism Division at FBI Headquarters. I am joined by Assistant Special in Charge Alethea Duncan of our New Orleans office.
I am here to discuss not only the latest investigative information we have here in New Orleans, but also let you know about other investigative activities outside of the state.
I, first and most importantly, want to send our deepest condolences to the victims of this horrific attack and their loved ones. Fourteen innocent victims were killed in this senseless attack, and at least 35 are injured. We cannot ease the grief people in this community and across the nation are feeling at this time, but rest assured, we stand with you and in support of you. All the resources of the FBI are being focused on tracking down every piece of evidence in this case.
While we won’t be able to answer all your questions, we do have a few updates and will be as forthcoming with you as possible.
Let us be very clear—what happened here in New Orleans was an act of terrorism. It was premeditated and an evil act.
This was obviously a critical incident and, with that, lots of information and tips come pouring in from law enforcement, first responders, and the public. We have been aggressively running down these tips and information. That takes time, and we will continue to do so until every lead has been followed through on. This investigation is only a little more than 24 hours old, and we have no indication at this point that anyone else was involved in this attack other than Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar.
The FBI is surging people and assets to this area from across the region and across the nation. Special agents in field offices across the country are assisting with potential aspects of this investigation and following up on leads. Additional teams of special agents, professional staff, and victim specialists continue to arrive to provide more investigative power and assistance to the victims and their families.
We have forward deployed members of our Critical Incident Response Group, including our hostage rescue team, special agent bomb technicians, and crisis management coordinators. Evidence Response Team members from other FBI field offices are providing additional assistance.
So far, we have received over 400 tips from the public, and that information is being followed up on both here in New Orleans and across the country. The FBI team and our law enforcement partners are also reviewing hundreds of hours of surveillance video from the French Quarter and other locations.
As for a timeline, at this point, investigators believe Jabbar picked up the rented F150 Lightning in Houston, Texas, on December 30th. As he drove from Houston to New Orleans, he posted several videos online proclaiming his support for ISIS.
There were five videos posted on Jabbar’s Facebook account, which are timestamped beginning at 1:29 a.m. CST and the last 3:02 am CST. In the first video, Jabbar explains he originally planned to harm his family and friends but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the “war between the believers and the disbelievers.” Additionally, he stated he had joined ISIS before this summer. He also provided his will and testament.
Just hours before the attack, Jabbar went to a house in New Orleans he rented through an online app. FBI and ATF agents secured the house and are searching it for potential evidence.
On New Year’s morning, Jabbar opened fire after ramming through a blocked off area of Bourbon Street and used his truck as a weapon to run over the victims. Three phones linked to Jabbar were recovered, and digital media exploitation is a priority to see what is on the devices and determine if there are any other potential leads.
Evidence Response Team members will also go over the F150 truck Jabbar was driving. As you know, we recovered an ISIS flag from the back of the vehicle. As mentioned earlier, Jabbar declared his support for the terrorist group on social media as he made his way to New Orleans.
FBI special agent bomb technicians recovered two IEDs in coolers: one from the cross-section of Bourbon and Orleans Street and the second at the intersection of Bourbon and Toulouse Streets. Both devices were rendered safe. We did obtain surveillance footage showing Jabbar placing both devices where they were found. Two other items of interest were determined not to be IEDs.
Jabbar was born in the United States and is a U.S. military veteran. We are looking at everything in his life. While we have interviewed many people who know Jabbar, we still need to talk to others. Whether you know Jabbar personally, worked with him, served in the military with him, or saw him in New Orleans or Texas, we need to talk to you. You may not think you have relevant information, but what you know could tie in to one of our investigative leads.
We specifically want to talk to anyone who was in the French Quarter on New Year’s Eve or early on New Year’s Day. That includes people near one of two IEDs on Bourbon and Orleans Streets. The IED was inside a cooler, and many people stopped and looked at the cooler and then continued on their way. Let’s be clear. We do not believe, at this point, these people are involved in this incident in any way—we want to speak to them as witnesses and want to know what they saw and when. Anyone with information can call 1-800-CALL-FBI or send digital tips to www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack.
Early this morning, Evidence Response Teams finished their work at the crime scene. Bourbon Street has been turned over to the city of New Orleans.
As you know, there is an FBI investigation in Las Vegas. We are following up on all potential leads and not ruling anything out. At this point, there is no known definitive link between the attack here in New Orleans and the one in Las Vegas
Again, our thoughts are with the victims of this tragedy and everyone impacted across the country. They remain at the heart of our investigation.