2 days Ago By The Telegraph
A Briton was among the 14 victims killed by an Islamic State-inspired terrorist in the New Orleans ramming attack . Dr Dwight McKenna, the New Orleans Coroner, released the details of the victims killed by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, when he ploughed into a crowd of revellers on New Year’s Day . Among those listed was a British citizen whose name was withheld “per request of family pending finalisation of international arrangements”.
The cause of death was preliminary listed as “blunt force injuries, Bourbon Street”. All other named victims were US nationals, although efforts to identify one victim are still ongoing. The youngest victim was aspiring nurse Nikyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, who was killed when she reportedly ran into the path of the terrorist’s pick-up truck while fleeing the sound of gunshots.
Ms Dedeaux was visiting the Louisiana city from Mississippi with her cousin and friend to celebrate the new year two weeks before starting her nursing course. Among those confirmed to have been killed by the coroner’s office was Reggie Hunter, 37, a father of two and warehouse manager from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who had gone to Bourbon Street on a whim. Seven victims, including Princeton graduate Martin “Tiger” Bech, were in their twenties.
Mr Bech played American college football at the Ivy League university before graduating in 2021 with a degree in finance. He was working as an investment trader at a New York firm when he was killed. Single mother Nicole Perez, 27, described as “beautiful and full of life”, was also among those confirmed to have been killed.
The oldest victim was Terrence Kennedy, 63, who was from New Orleans. Names of the victims were released as CCTV footage emerged of Jabbar scoping out the streets of New Orleans just over an hour before he drove a pick-up truck into New Year party-goers. The FBI released surveillance footage of the US Army veteran walking around the city’s French Quarter at around 2am on Wednesday, wearing blue jeans and a brown overcoat.
The agency also released an image of the blue and white cooler in which Jabbar, from Texas, hid an improvised explosive device before planting it near the intersection of Bourbon Street and Orleans Street. The FBI said on Thursday it believed the 42-year-old had acted alone, after initially stating it did not appear he was solely responsible for the attack. Chris Raia, the FBI’s deputy assistant director for counterterrorism, said Jabbar had made video recordings hours before the attack, some of which referenced his divorce.
Credit: Via Fox 8 New Orleans In one, the father-of-three said he had first planned to gather his family for a “celebration” to kill them but changed his mind over concerns the resulting media coverage would not focus on the “war between the believers and disbelievers”. He also said he changed his plans and joined IS , apparently after having several dreams telling him to do so. On Wednesday, after walking the streets and planting explosive devices, Jabbar drove an electric Ford-F50 rental, which bore a homemade IS flag, into pedestrians on Bourbon Street.
He was also dressed in body armour and armed with an AR-15-style rifle. Investigators later found suspected pipe bombs loaded with nails and suspected C4 explosives concealed in two coolers and a purple suitcase placed around the French Quarter. Two were wired for remote detonation, while a corresponding remote control was discovered in Jabbar’s truck.
He had been renting accommodation in the New Orleans neighbourhood of St Roch, where a small fire was reported. Authorities said it was a failed attempt to destroy bomb-making materials. At Jabbar’s home in north Houston, a copy of the Koran was left open at a passage reading: “They fight in Allah’s cause, and slay and are slain; a promise binding,” according to the New York Post.
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