New Orleans terrorist suspect set fire at rental property prior to attack: FBI

The driver behind the deadly terrorist New Years’ attack in New Orleans set fire to his rental property in an effort to destroy bomb-making evidence prior to the attack, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) said.

In a joint statement on Friday, the agencies revealed that they believe 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar set a small fire in the hallway of his rented Airbnb before the attack, and “strategically placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it and other evidence of his crime.” But they said the fire burned itself out before spreading to other rooms.

The smoldering of the fire allowed the FBI to recover evidence from the rented Airbnb, including “pre-cursors for bomb-making material and a privately made device suspected of being a silencer for a rifle,” the agencies said.

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The FBI and the ATF also revealed new information on Jabbar’s movements prior to driving a high-speed vehicle down the popular Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

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Jabbar had also placed two improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, along Bourbon Street, authorities said. He did not manage to detonate the two explosives prior to his death.

“The FBI assesses that during his attack on Bourbon Street, Jabbar intended to use a transmitter, that was found in the F150 truck, to detonate the two IED’s he placed on Bourbon Street,” the agencies said.

In the latest update, the agencies said that all evidence recovery along Bourbon Street and at the Airbnb rental on Mandeville Street used by Jabbar has been completed.

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“Evidence collected from multiple sites is being evaluated to further the investigation,” the agencies said.