FBI Says New Orleans Attacker Was an Army Veteran With an ISIS Flag

Also on Wednesday, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded at a Trump hotel in Las Vegas, killing the driver and injuring seven people nearby. Officials said the truck contained “fireworks-style mortars,” and the incident is being investigated as a potential terrorist attack. According to reports, both the Cybertruck and the Ford truck used in the attack in New Orleans were rented using the app Turo.

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A spokesman for the US Army said Jabbar was in the Army from 2007 to 2020. From 2007 to 2015, he served as a human resources specialist and information technology specialist on active duty and deployed to Afghanistan once during that time. From 2015 to 2020, Jabbar was in the reserves.

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While the motive remains unclear, the attack comes after more than a year of the US backing Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, and support for Israel has historically been a motive for terrorist attacks against the US. A US official told ABC News that authorities believe Jabbar was radicalized in recent years, and the “Israel-Hamas war” may have exacerbated his radicalization.

The US has also significantly stepped up its bombing campaign against ISIS in Syria in recent months. On the other hand, the US helped Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an offshoot of al-Qaeda that has a similar ideology to ISIS, take over Syria.

The Descent of an Army Vet Turned Corporate Consultant Named in the New Year’s Attack

“Time is of the essence. I can not afford the house payment. It is past due in excess of $27,000 and in danger of foreclosure if we delay settling the divorce,” he wrote, worried about the tens of thousands in credit-card and other debt he had racked up as his real-estate business was losing money.

Two Israelis Injured in Car Ramming in New Orleans, FBI Probing as Terror Attack

What Matthew Livelsberger’s Social Media Reveals About Cybertruck Suspect (archived)

He began as a special forces communications specialist, a role he held for nine years. He then became a special forces intelligence and operations specialist, a role he had for seven years.

Livelsberger then became a special forces operations manager and team sergeant, a role he held for a little under two years, before becoming a remote and autonomous systems manager in November.

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Livelsberger was active on LinkedIn, and often commented on posts from colleagues in the military. In a comment on one post about student debt, he responded to a question asking who was responsible for debts saying, “The govt.”