WASHINGTON, D.C. –– This week, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, demanding an updated briefing on Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the suspect in the deadly New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans. Representative August Pfluger (R-TX), chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence in the 118th Congress, cosigned the letter.

In the letter, the chairmen requested a briefing from the FBI and DHS to provide more information on the agency’s investigation into Jabbar’s domestic and foreign travel. Chairmen Green and Pfluger also requested the briefing provide confirmation of details previously provided to the Committee concerning the suspect, whether a “travel lookout” was created prior to the terrorist attack, if the U.S. government received intelligence reports from a foreign government about Jabbar, and what security measures the FBI and DHS took to support law enforcement partners in New Orleans to prevent the terrorist attack. In addition to numerous other questions, the chairmen also probed reports that Jabbar had explosive compounds never before used in the United States or Europe. Read the full letter, including the full list of requests, here and excerpts below. 
 
In the letter, chairmen wrote, “Recently, it has come to the Committee’s attention that on December 31, 2024, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) may have submitted a “travel lookout” record for the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, suggesting that the FBI may have had information on Jabbar prior to the deadly terrorist attack in the early hours of January 1, 2025. It is unclear to the Committee at this time whether the creation of the travel record was a technical error in the system or was set as a one-year tracking period starting from the night before the terrorist attack to December 31, 2025.”

The chairmen concluded, “The Committee recognizes that law enforcement officials commonly create tracking records for suspects, whether alive or deceased, including travel monitoring records. These records are often used after an attack to confirm the suspect’s identity or uncover possible associates, particularly when a deceased suspect’s identity is not yet fully verified or when there is a possibility of additional individuals being involved. With that said, the FBI has previously informed the Committee that it does not have any evidence or means of intelligence to suggest that the deadly terrorist attack on January 1, 2025, was going to happen. Additionally, there are new reports that Jabbar not only made multiple trips to New Orleans prior to the attack, but that he also traveled to Egypt and Canada in 2023. It is unclear whether these trips played a role in Jabbar’s motivation or his planning for the terrorist attack in New Orleans. To assist the Committee’s ongoing oversight work, please provide a briefing no later than Monday, January 20, 2025, to provide pertinent information…”
 
Background:
 
On January 2, 2025, House Homeland Security Committee members, members of other relevant House and Senate committees, and the Louisiana congressional delegation were briefed by David Scott, assistant director of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. The FBI stated that, at the time of the briefing, the agency had not found any evidence that Jabbar had any co-conspirators, but confirmed the attack was inspired by ISIS. The FBI also stated that, at the time of the briefing, Jabbar had not been found on any federal government watchlists or systems. The Committee will continue conducting oversight of the federal government’s response to the heinous act of terrorism that took 14 innocent lives and injured more than 30 people on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day. 
 

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