By Gabriella Killett
The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
NEW ORLEANS — Federal agents have determined that Shamsud-Din Jabbar set fire to the short-term rental where he was staying in New Orleans before he barreled down Bourbon Street in a rented pickup truck early New Year’s Day, killing 14 and injuring 35 others.
In a Friday update, authorities said all evidence had been recovered from the scene of the carnage on Bourbon Street and the short-term rental on Mandeville Street. At the Mandeville Street location, bomb-making materials were found and collected, the FBI said. Similar materials were found at Jabbar’s home in Houston, Texas, according to the statement.
At the scene, firefighters also discovered pre-cursors for bomb-making material and a device they suspected to be a rifle silencer, according to the FBI.
At 5:18 a.m. Wednesday, two hours after the Bourbon Street attack, New Orleans firefighters responded to a reported fire at the short-term rental in the 1300 block of Mandeville Street. The FBI said Friday that it determined Jabbar was the only person with access to the home where the fire had been set.
ATF agents determined that Jabbar had set a small fire in the hallway of the home and “strategically” placed accelerants throughout the house to destroy. After Jabbar left the rental, the fire extinguished itself before spreading further, authorities said.
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Evidence collected from multiple sites are being evaluated as the investigation continues. The FBI said agents are also evaluating video collected from New Orleans’ Real Times Crime Center cameras.
The FBI added that during Jabbar’s attack on Bourbon Street, he intended to use a remote detonator to set off two improvised explosive devices he’d placed on the street. The FBI plans to test the remote, along with two firearms connected to Jabbar, it said.
The FBI said it has brought in more than 200 additional personnel to assist the New Orleans Filed Office in chasing down nearly 1,000 tips nationwide and helping to support victims. The agency reported that in addition to the 14 dead, as well as Jabbar, at least 35 people were injured.
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