HOUSTON – The FBI said the agency and local law enforcement in Texas have searched a location in Houston that is connected to the attack that killed at least 14 people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
The attacker — who rammed a truck into a crowd to carry out his deadly rampage — has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran from Houston, Texas.
The FBI said its agents and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office completed a court-authorized search Thursday morning of a location near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive, in north Houston. A residence near there is listed as Jabbar’s most recent home address, records show. A neighbor confirmed to CBS News Texas that Jabbar lived there for the last year and a half and said he saw Jabbar there on Tuesday. Investigators, however, have not confirmed that Jabbar lived at the location.
There was heavy FBI presence in the neighborhood Wednesday and a SWAT team and armored cars were present as authorities were seen focusing on a vehicle and a residence. They were cautious as they approached the home and flew drones over it.
No arrests were made, the FBI said, and there was no threat to residents in the area.
CBS News
On Thursday morning, Harris County Sheriff deputies blocked off a road leading into the small neighborhood in the north side of Houston where the residence is located.
Investigators are continuing to search for a motive in the attack. President Biden said in televised remarks that the FBI determined Jabbar “posted videos to social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, expressing a desire to kill,” hours before the attack.
The attacker drove around barricades and up onto the sidewalk of Bourbon Street, according to New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick. He “was trying to run over as many people as he could,” Kirkpatrick said.
The FBI initially said that 15 people, excluding the driver, were killed in the attack. The toll was later revised by the New Orleans coroner’s office to include the attacker.
