⭕ Shamsud-Din Jabbar in police shootout on a French Quarter street

⭕ One of the weapons found was stolen in NJ, police say

⭕ A former Princeton University football player died in the attack


A rifle stolen in New Jersey was found with the driver in the New Orleans New Year's Eve terror attack, police told Fox News.

A former college football player from New Jersey was among the 14 victims killed in the attack.

The FBI said that Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen and Army veteran from Texas, acted alone when he drove a rented Ford pickup truck into a crowd around 3:15 a.m. in the city's French Quarter, killing at least 14 people and injuring about 30. Jabbar exited the pickup and fired on police, who returned fire. Jabbar was pronounced dead at the scene. Two members of law enforcement were hospitalized.

The FBI found “no definitive link” between the New Orleans attack and the Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas.

A .308 rifle equipped with optics and a suppressor was found in the pickup along with a Glock pistol, a high-level New Orleans police source told Fox News. The source did not disclose where in New Jersey the rifle was stolen or how it may have come to be in Jabbar's possession.

The guns and pipe bombs were found in the suspect's vehicle, according to a Louisiana State Police intelligence bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. The devices were concealed within coolers and wired for remote detonation with a remote control that also was found in the vehicle, the bulletin said.

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Members of the FBI on Bourbon Street during the investigation of a Ford F150 truck crashing into pedestrians on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans 1/1/25
Members of the FBI on Bourbon Street during the investigation of a Ford F150 truck crashing into pedestrians on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans 1/1/25 (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
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FBI: Suspect acted alone

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism and Thursday morning said it believes Jabbar acted alone. An Islamic state flag was found on the vehicle's trailer hitch, the FBI said. The bureau is trying to determine if Jabbar was associated with any terrorist organizations.

President Joe Biden said the FBI told him that Jabbar posted videos on social media just hours before the attack indicating that he was inspired by the Islamic State group.

Officials have not yet released the names of the 14 victims killed in the terrorist attack, but their families and friends have started sharing their stories. Among those who died in the attack were an 18-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a nurse, a single mother, a father of two, and former Princeton University football player Martin "Tiger" Bech.

Bech's brother Jack Bech re-tweeted the news of Tiger's death on his personal X account.

"Love you always brother! You inspired me everyday now you get to be with me in every moment. I got this family T, don’t worry. This is for us," Jack Bech wrote.

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Martin "Tiger" Bech and Ryan Quigley
Martin "Tiger" Bech and Ryan Quigley (Jack Kelly via GoFundMe)
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Ex-Princeton University football teammates celebrate New Years

Bech played football for Princeton between 2016 and 2018, according to the Princeton athletics website. The wide receiver and punt returned helped Princeton post the highest-scoring offense in Ivy League history during the 2018 season in which the team posted its first perfect season since 1964.

Friend and former teammate Ryan Quigley was with Bech and was injured after being struck by the pickup, according to a GoFundMe campaign which has raised nearly $80,000 to assist both families.

Quigley is stable and resting, according to an update posted on the campaign's page Thursday.

 

(Includes material Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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