Since this story was first published it has been updated with a statement from the FBI about a search of the suspect's Houston residence.
NEW ORLEANS (Covering Katy News) — The suspect in the New Orleans terrorist attack is from Houston and has had a run in with the law in Katy, according to reports.
Federal investigators identified Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, as the man who intentionally rammed a rented pickup truck into New Year's revelers around 3:15 a.m. on Bourbon Street. He died in a shootout with police.
According to Fox News Digital, Jabbar was from Houston and had previous law enforcement encounters in Katy.
"In 2002, he was charged with misdemeanor theft in Katy, and in 2005 with driving with an invalid license," Fox reported.
Covering Katy retrieved those court records but could not definitively confirm they belonged to the suspect, as the documents only matched in name and age without listing a home address.
Jabbar, who died at the scene of the attack, was a U.S.-born citizen, according to the FBI.
The Houston Chronicle reported that around 4 p.m., a tactical team comprised of FBI agents and Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies visited a property at the intersection of Crescent Peak Drive and Hugh Road in north Harris County. Investigators believe Jabbar lived at the location.
Team members were observed carrying long guns and operating a drone over the property.
Statement from the FBI issued at 9:06 p.m. Jan. 1, 2025.
FBI Houston and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office are continuing a court-authorized search of a location near the intersection of Hugh Road and Crescent Peak Drive. At this time, no arrests have been made and FBI personnel will be at the scene for several more hours. We are asking members of the public to continue to avoid the area and a temporary flight restriction has been implemented.
Throughout this operation, we have deployed specialized teams including our FBI SWAT team, Crisis Negotiators, Special Agent Bomb Technicians, Tactical Operations Center, Evidence Response Team, and a group of counterterrorism investigators. We are grateful for the substantial assistance provided by our partners at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, the Houston Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Since this is an ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide any more information at this time. However, we encourage anyone with information related to the New Orleans attack to submit tips online at www.fbi.gov/bourbonstreetattack or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).