Investigators Examine Links Between New Orleans Islamic State Attacker and Canada
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New York, Jan 6 (NationPress) As the inquiries into the New Orleans assault extend beyond U.S. borders, there is a growing focus on the terrorist's possible connections to Canada, which has been known to be a source of terror threats to the United States.
FBI Special Agent Lyonel Myrthil stated on Sunday that Shamsud-Din Jabbar had spent three days in Ontario, Canada, last year.
His trip to Canada in July 2023 came after a visit to Egypt in the preceding month.
"Our agents are uncovering details regarding his destinations, the individuals he encountered, and how these journeys may relate to his actions in our city," Myrthil noted during a press briefing in New Orleans.
Jabbar has declared his allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and has stated that he joined their ranks.
Myrthil mentioned that the investigation is currently "spanning state and international boundaries."
Although FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia previously indicated that "no one else is implicated in this attack," Jabbar's trip to Canada raises the possibility that others may have assisted or incited him, given the recorded terror threats from Canada to the US.
A report from Canadian Customs and Border Protection Service revealed that 358 individuals on terror watch lists were intercepted attempting to enter the US from Canada in the fiscal year 2024.
Last year, Representatives Mike Kelly and Ryan Zinke, who lead the Northern Border Security Caucus, proposed a resolution advocating for action against "the concerning number of individuals on the terror watchlist crossing into the United States via the Northern border with Canada."
In September, a Pakistani national, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, was apprehended near the US-Canada border while allegedly en route to New York to execute terrorist activities.
Khan also had ties to IS, as noted by US officials who charged him with attempting to provide support to the terrorist organization.
In the New Orleans incident, fourteen individuals lost their lives, and thirty-five were injured when Jabbar drove a vehicle displaying the black IS flag into a crowd celebrating the New Year in the French Quarter, a popular tourist area.
Jabbar was killed during a shootout with the police after he exited his pickup truck, opening fire.
Investigators are working to understand how Jabbar, a former Army serviceman who had served in Afghanistan and had been employed by a prestigious financial services firm, became radicalized.
According to ABC News, Orleans prosecutor Jason Williams emphasized that the "next crucial phase of the investigation is to determine how this radicalization occurred and if it was influenced during that trip."
His brother, Abdur Jabbar, mentioned that they were raised as Christians, but Shams-Ud Din later converted to Islam.
He shared with ABC News that his brother claimed his visit to Egypt was motivated by it being "affordable and beautiful."
