Authorities have identified the attacker as 42-year-old Shamsud Din Jabbar, a Texas native and former U.S. Army soldier. Jabbar, who was dressed in camouflage, full-body armor, and sporting a beard, opened fire on crowds before engaging in a shootout with police, wounding two officers in the process.
In the hours following the attack, four suspicious packages were reportedly discovered and detonated along Bourbon Street as part of an ongoing investigation into improvised explosive devices (IEDs), according to WWL. Meanwhile, WDSU reported that the truck used in the attack was rigged with explosives.
Initial reports suggested that the vehicle had crossed into the U.S. from Mexico at Eagle Pass, Texas, two days before the attack. However, Fox News has since retracted that claim. ABC News reports that the pickup truck was rented through the app Turo, further complicating the investigation into how Jabbar orchestrated the attack.