New Orleans attack latest: FBI looking into suspect’s travels to Egypt as British man among 14 killed
Investigators are reportedly looking into the travel history of the suspect in the New Orleans attack, which killed 14 people and injured dozens more just hours into the new year.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas, traveled to Egypt alone for a month in 2023 and told his family he was going “because it was cheap and beautiful,” his half-brother AbdurJabbar told ABC News.
The FBI is looking into Jabbar’s foreign travel, including what he did and who he spoke to during his time in Egypt. The federal agency is also trying to determine whether he became radicalized during his trip, the outlet reported.
Authorities recovered an ISIS flag from inside his vehicle.
“This next most important phase of the investigation is to find out how that radicalization happened and if it happened on that trip,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told the network.
The news comes as authorities identified yet another victim: Edward Pettifer, a 31-year-old British national.
“The entire family are devastated at the tragic news of Ed‘s death in New Orleans. He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many,” his family said in a statement.
