Fresh CCTV released of New Orleans terror suspect just an hour before attack as police reveal he had IED-packed cooler

3 January 2025, 00:34 | Updated: 3 January 2025, 00:43

New CCTV footage released by the FBI shows the suspect involved in the New Orleans terror attack walking around multiple New Orleans streets, and placing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on a street corner.

The FBI released new CCTV images of the New Orleans terror attack suspect showing him walking around about an hour prior to the attack, and placing a cooler with an IED near the intersection of Bourbon Street and Orleans Street.

The images were released as part of an appeal for information, as he FBI has set up a digital media tipline.

in a statement, the agency said: "Surveillance footage from 2:03 a.m. CST shows Jabbar as he walked along Dauphine Street near Governor Nicholls Street.

"The footage shows Jabbar dressed in a light brown long coat, a dark-colored button-down shirt, blue jeans and what appears to be brown dress shoes.

"The FBI is also releasing a photo of one of the coolers containing an IED, which was placed by Jabbar near the intersection of Bourbon and Orleans Street."

The FBI has previously confirmed that Jabbar placed another cooler in a surrounding area, around two hours before the attack.

Fourteen people have now been confirmed dead and another 35 others injured following the attack.

The New Orleans terror attack suspect was "working alone", the FBI has confirmed, as officials revealed Shamsud Din Jabbar "originally planned to harm family and friends".

FBI deputy assistant, Christopher Rayer, told a press conference on Thursday that the attack was "premeditated" and "evil" act of terrorism, confirming the suspect was an ISIS sympathiser.

Police identified 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas and a US army veteran, as the prime suspect in the case on Wednesday.

The FBI confirmed that CCTV evidence of Jabbar revealed he had placed two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in cooler boxes a couple of streets apart around "two hours" before his pick-up truck attack.

During the press conference, law enforcement confirmed there was "no definitive link" between the New Orleans attack and a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas.

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Read more: New Orleans attack: Everything we know about suspect Shamsud Din Jabbar

Jabbar was seen to plough into crowds in the French Quarter shortly after 3.15am local time on New Year's Day.

He subsequently opened fire on passers by after crashing his vehicle. The suspect was declared dead shortly after following a shootout with police.

The FBI said it had received more than "400 tips from members of the public", with over 1,000 agents and officers now working on the case.

Read more: Suspect in deadly New Orleans terror attack identified as FBI confirms ISIS flag found in truck used to slam into crowd

Read more: Donald Trump slams New Orleans attack as 'act of pure evil' after car ploughs into New Year's crowd killing 10

They added that the force had "unfairly" faced criticism in the wake of Wednesday's attack.

FBI officials have revealed the suspect "posted several videos to an online platform" in the hours before the attacks, in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Federal investigators revealed Jabbar "originally planned to harm family and friends" but thought headlines would not properly show what he described as the "war between believers and the disbelievers".

He also left a "last will and testament," the FBI confirmed.

"Three phones linked to Jabbar have been recovered," authorities confirmed, as well as "two laptops" at a Mandeville address, in Louisiana, which was raided by police on Wednesday.

Two functional IEDs were found in water coolers located two blocks from each other, law enforcement confirmed as they appealed for witnesses to come forward.

CCTV footage shows Jabbar placing the devices at the two locations, authorities confirmed in the press conference on Thursday.