Posted by 
The Texas man who police suspect of killing at least 15 people celebrating New Year's in New Orleans and injuring dozens more is an Army veteran who has worked in real estate and IT and said in court documents that he struggled with financial troubles in recent years.
Law enforcement officials identified 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US citizen from Texas, as the suspect who they believe drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revellers on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year's Day.
Jabbar, who was killed while exchanging fire with police, had potential improvised explosive devices and an ISIS flag in the truck, according to local and federal authorities.
READ MORE: Aspiring nurse and football star among the dead in New Orleans attack
Jabbar was born in Beaumont, Texas, he said in a 2020 YouTube video titled "Personal Introduction," in which he pitched himself as a professional real estate agent based in Houston.
Authorities said Jabbar served in the US Army, although officials did not immediately confirm details about his service.
A 2013 US Army Facebook post identified Jabbar as an Army Staff Sergeant who worked as an information technology team chief for the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team at the time.
Serving in the military taught Jabbar "the meaning of great service and what it means to be responsive and take everything seriously, dotting i's and crossing t's to make sure that things go off without a hitch," he said in the YouTube video, which has since been taken offline. He sat in the video next to a framed poster with the word "Discipline" in bold, and near a book titled "Leadership."
Jabbar received an associate degree from Central Texas College in 2010 and a bachelor's degree from Georgia State University in 2017, according to an online resume. Both degrees were related to computer science and information technology. He later worked in business development and data engineering at the consulting firm Deloitte, according to the resume.
Georgia State University confirmed to CNN Jabbar attended from 2015 to 2017 and graduated with a bachelor's of business administration in Computer Information Systems. Central Texas College and Deloitte did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.
Dabbling in real estate
Jabbar obtained a real estate license in 2019, and the licence expired in 2023, according to records from the Texas Real Estate Commission.
The records show he took a range of real estate classes on topics such as contract law and finance between 2018 and 2021. He is also listed in public records as having previously registered or being associated with several companies in Texas and Georgia.
Sued over child support
The mother of two of Jabbar's children sued him in Harris County, Texas in 2012 over child support, court records show. The court issued orders for Jabbar to pay amounts that increased over the years as his income grew, and that his employers withhold income for the children's support. The documents listed his employer as the US Army in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina in 2012 and Indianapolis in 2013, as well as the company Accenture LLP in Houston in 2018. The case was dismissed in 2022.
Harris County court records also show that Jabbar pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of between US$50 and US$500 in December 2002, and served nine months of "community supervision."
In recent years, Jabbar appears to have struggled with his finances. In a January 2022 email filed as part of his divorce case, he wrote that he could not afford a payment on his house, which he said was more than US$27,000 (A$43,600) past due and "in danger of foreclosure" if his divorce settlement was further delayed.
Jabbar also stated in the email that a business he had formed, Blue Meadow Properties, had lost about $28,000 (A$45,200) the prior year, and that other businesses he formed weren't worth any money. He added that he had incurred about $16,000 (A$25,800) in credit card debt.
Jabbar appears to have rented the truck he used in the New Year's attack, a Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck, on the car rental website Turo, which lets owners rent their vehicles to other people. The truck's owner told CNN in a text message that it was rented on Turo.
Turo did not respond to a request for comment, but the site disabled the truck for renting on Wednesday morning.
Links to ISIS probed
The FBI and US authorities are currently investigating any links Jabbar may have with the ISIS terrorist organisation, after the ISIS flag was found in his truck.
Investigators say they have found writings that the FBI believes support the view that the attack was inspired by ISIS, sources told CNN.
CNN also reported that multiple officials confirmed law enforcement were reviewing video recordings believed to have been made by Jabbar.
The recordings appear to have been made while driving at night. The suspect is not visible because it is dark, but authorities believe the recordings were made as he drove from Texas to Louisiana, although the exact timing is not yet clear.
In the recordings, the suspect makes reference to his divorce and how he had at first planned to gather his family for a "celebration" with the intention of killing them, two officials who had been briefed on the material in the recordings said.
The suspect also talked about how he changed his plans and said that he joined ISIS. He referenced several dreams that he had about why he should be joining ISIS.
