Suspect in New Orleans Attack Is Identified: What We Know

Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar appeared to be living a quiet but dutiful life of work and faith amid Houston’s sprawling diversity: a veteran of the U.S. Army who studied information technology, converted to Islam and recently held a six-figure job.

Little in his outward persona suggested someone who could be responsible for what the authorities described as a brutal terrorist attack along one of the most famous streets in the United States on New Year’s Day.

In a white pickup rented in Houston, the authorities said, Mr. Jabbar, rammed through a crowd of revelers around 3 a.m. on Bourbon Street in New Orleans before opening fire, killing at least 15 people in one of the nation’s worst terror attacks.

Mr. Jabbar died in a shootout with the police, officials said. In the truck, they found an Islamic State flag, and a senior law enforcement official said that Mr. Jabbar had posted several videos to his Facebook account Tuesday evening, apparently addressed to his family and recorded while he was driving, in which he “pledged allegiance to ISIS.”

Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation were still trying to determine a motive for the attack, and believed that Mr. Jabbar “was not solely responsible.” Several improvised explosive devices were found and disposed of, officials said.

The violence appeared to explode out of nowhere to those who had known Mr. Jabbar as a smart, caring brother and a quiet, helpful neighbor. But there were also signs of growing instability in his life.