Iraqi authorities have apprehended a suspected member of the Islamic State group in connection with the deadly New Year’s Day terror attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, according to a statement released by the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq today.
The arrest follows an official request from the United States for assistance in the investigation of the attack, which claimed the lives of 14 people and injured 35 others when a truck drove into a crowd celebrating on the iconic New Orleans street.
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While the identity and specific role of the arrested individual have not yet been disclosed, the Supreme Judicial Council confirmed that the suspect will be prosecuted under Iraq’s anti-terrorism law.
The FBI previously identified the driver of the truck as Shamsud-Din Jabbar (pictured above), a 42-year-old resident of Texas. According to the FBI’s investigation, Jabbar traveled to New Orleans on December 31st around 2:30 p.m. and posted messages on Facebook expressing his support for the Islamic State group.
He was fatally shot by law enforcement officers at the scene after crashing the truck on Bourbon Street.
Following the announcement of the arrest in Iraq, the FBI’s New Orleans field office issued a statement acknowledging the development.
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“The FBI’s investigation into the New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans remains active and ongoing,” the statement read. “While we continue to work with our law enforcement partners, both in the U.S. and internationally, based on the information to date, we continue to believe that Shamsud Din-Jabbar acted alone in carrying out the attack on Bourbon Street. We continue to follow all leads and encourage anyone who may have information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.”
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