New information continues to come in about the horrific New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans, which left at least 14 dead and dozens injured.
An Airbnb that the terrorist, 42-year-old ISIS convert Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had rented has come under intense scrutiny by authorities, and they are now saying that he deliberately tried to burn it down to conceal evidence.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was staying at an Airbnb on Mandeville Street where bomb-making materials were found, the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said in a joint statement. Similar materials were also found in Jabbar's home in Houston, authorities said.
New Orleans firefighters responded to the rental property at around 5:20 a.m. on New Year's Day, after the deadly attack on Bourbon Street. The ATF determined that Jabbar “was the only person who could have had access to the residence when the fire was set.”
“ATF also determined that Jabbar set a small fire in the hallway, and strategically placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it and other evidence of his crime," the statement said. "After Jabbar left the residence, the fire burned to a point that it extinguished itself, prior to spreading to other rooms.”
A Ring doorbell caught footage of the monster preparing for the attack:
CNN has secured exclusive doorbell camera footage that shows the New Orleans attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, unloading his truck outside an Airbnb rental just hours before the tragic incident occurred. https://t.co/THpJ4j55SP pic.twitter.com/XQKPwFK4Qr
— IredcapI (@IredcapI) January 3, 2025
Background: Bomb-Making Materials Found at House Fire at Airbnb Linked to Bourbon Street Attacker
It appears that Jabbar’s plan to set the place on fire failed, however, and authorities were still able to collect evidence.
When firefighters arrived at the scene, the fire was smoldering, which allowed for the recovery of evidence, authorities said, including bomb-making pre-cursors, as well as a device suspected of being made into a silencer.
Jabbar intended to use a transmitter that was found that was found in the F150 truck he used to plow into holiday revelers to detonate the two improvised-explosive devices he placed on Bourbon Street, authorities said.
Clothing and shell cases were also found, as well as terabytes worth of video and other data collected by city street cameras, law enforcement said. The evidence will be taken to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia for evaluation.
Meanwhile, as our Teri Christoph reported, authorities left the terrorist’s Houston home unguarded, and journalists wandered around inside unfettered.
Fox News sent a reporter to the house Friday morning and she discovered it was still wide open and anyone could wander in. While she was there, local law enforcement from Harris County shut down the street in preparation for the arrival of a bomb squad. This, again, is after the general public had ample opportunity to go through the house, contaminate the scene, and walk off with potentially important evidence.
Questions Arise After FBI Fails to Secure Home of Bourbon Street Terrorist
New information is regularly coming out about this tragic story, and RedState will continue to bring you updates as necessary.
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