HOUSTON – While Shamsud Din-Jabbar’s public persona appeared relatively ordinary, his radicalization remains a subject of intense scrutiny.
Din-Jabbar spent more than 13 years in the military.
The U.S. Army sent the following statememt:
“Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar was in the regular Army as a Human Resource Specialist (42A) and Information Technology (IT) Specialist (25B) from March 2007 until January 2015 and then in the Army Reserve as an IT Specialist (25B) from January 2015 until July 2020. He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010. He held the rank of Staff Sergeant at the end of service.
“Jabbar’s awards include the Army Commendation Medal x 3, Army Achievement Medal x 4 , Army Good Conduct Medal x 2, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon x 2, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, NATO Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation x 2, Parachutist Badge, and the Driver and Mechanic Badge.”
According to the FBI, in a video taken by the terrorist just prior to the attack, Jabbar admitted to initially planning to harm his family and friends. However, he expressed concern that such actions would fail to receive the media attention he sought, particularly regarding what he described as a “war between the believers and the disbelievers.”
The FBI also revealed Jabbar also joined ISIS prior to the summer of 2024.
It is unclear if Jabbar’s assignment in Afghanistan in 2009 contributed to his decision to radicalize.
But in another striking contrast to his later involvement in terrorism, Jabbar was filmed in 2020 promoting his real estate business.
The video shows him speaking confidently about his real estate services while drawing on his Army experience.
It is unclear when Jabbar fully embraced terrorism, but Jabbar appears to have stayed out of trouble during his years in the service, which concluded five years ago near the front end of the pandemic.
