Shamsud Din JabbarThe 42-year-old man behind the deadly New Year’s Eve attack in New Orleans had a steady job as an employee at prominent accounting firm Deloitte and reportedly earned an annual salary of $120,000. However, despite his relatively well-paid position, Jabbar’s life was marked by financial turmoil that intensified during his second divorce in 2022.
A high-income professional fighting debt
Reports from the New York Publish reveal that Jabbar, who had experience in IT and military service, was deeply in debt. In emails to his ex-wife’s attorney, Jabbar admitted he owed more than $27,000 in late home payments and claimed he was at risk of foreclosure. Additionally, he confessed to accumulating more than $16,000 in credit card debt while paying court fees and expenses for a second home. His real estate business, which he hoped would provide him with a financial lifeline, had suffered a staggering loss of more than $28,000 the previous year.
A fall from stability to misery
Jabbar’s personal life took a dramatic turn after his second divorce. He had been married twice and had faced constant financial strugglesincluding child support disputes with his first wife, who sued him in 2012. Despite his work at Deloitte and his military service, Jabbar’s financial problems brought him to a breaking point.
In the years following his military service, Jabbar’s situation deteriorated and he found himself living in a dilapidated trailer park in Houston, Texas. The once-promising professional now lived in squalor, surrounded by sheep and goats in his yard. His neighbors, many of whom were Muslim immigrants, knew little about him, and one of them described Jabbar as a “simple person” who kept to himself, the Publish reported.
From military service to terrorism
Jabbar’s journey from a set military veteran to a terrorism suspect is as complex as it is tragic. He served in the US Army for over a decade and was deployed to Afghanistan, where he worked as an IT specialist. He left the Army in 2015 as a first sergeant after serving both active duty and as a reservist. Despite the stability of his military career, Jabbar struggled with personal and financial problems that seemed to worsen over time.
In a 2020 YouTube video promoting his real estate business, Jabbar presented himself as a trustworthy Texan. However, in the months leading up to the New Orleans attack, he reportedly became more isolated and radicalized. The FBI revealed that Jabbar had made references to the Koran and was allegedly influenced by ISIS ideologya connection underlined by an ISIS flag found on the truck he used during the attack.
A deadly attack on New Year’s Eve
On New Year’s Day, Jabbar carried out a premeditated terrorist attack, driving a rented Ford F-150 pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Road, killing 15 people. After the attack, he exchanged gunfire with police officers and died during the confrontation. Authorities confirmed that Jabbar had an ISIS flag on his vehicle and authorities continue to investigate possible accomplices.
Financial struggles, marital problems, and the apparent radicalization have painted a picture of a man who went from a successful career and military service to a life of financial ruin and violent extremism.
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