In a series of videos, the suspect in the deadly New Year’s attack in New Orleans discussed planning to kill his family and having dreams that helped inspire him to join ISIS, according to multiple officials briefed on the investigation.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old man who police suspect drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more, made the chilling recordings while driving from his home in Texas to Louisiana, authorities believe.

Jabbar, a US citizen and Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, made reference in the videos 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 recordings said. But Jabbar said in the videos that he changed his plans and joined ISIS, and referenced several dreams that he had about why he should be joining the terrorist group, according to the officials.

The videos, which CNN has not reviewed, appear to have been recorded while he was driving at night, the officials said, although the exact timing is unclear.

Jabbar was killed while exchanging fire with police after ramming the truck through the crowd in the early hours of New Year’s Day. He had potential improvised explosive devices and an ISIS flag in the truck he drove, according to local and federal authorities.

Now, law enforcement authorities are reviewing the videos Jabbar made as they rush to piece in details about how he went from a military veteran to a suspect in a deadly rampage.

Jabbar served in the Army for more than a decade, an Army spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday. He served as a human resource specialist and information technology specialist on active duty between March 2007 and January 2015, and deployed to Afghanistan once from February 2009 to January 2010, the spokesperson said. After leaving active duty in January 2015, Jabbar served in the Army Reserve until July 2020, when he left service as a staff sergeant.

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.

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 firms Deloitte and Accenture, 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 Accenture did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. In a statement, Deloitte said, “We are shocked to learn of reports today that the individual identified as a suspect had any association with our firm. The named individual served in a staff-level role since being hired in 2021. Like everyone, we are outraged by this shameful and senseless act of violence and are doing all we can to assist authorities in their investigation.”

Jabbar obtained a real estate license in 2019, and the license 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.

Jabbar has divorced two of his ex-wives, court documents show. His first wife sued him in 2012 over child support soon after he filed for divorce, and the court issued orders for Jabbar to pay amounts that increased over the years as his income grew. The case was dismissed in 2022.

A Texas judge issued a temporary restraining order against Jabbar in 2020 after his second wife asked for one during their divorce case. The order mandated that Jabbar refrain from threats, physical harm or other stipulated behavior against his ex-wife and either of their children, and required her to avoid the same activity. In a court filing, Jabbar’s ex-wife stated the marriage had become “insupportable because of discord or a conflict of personalities.”

Harris County court records also show that Jabbar pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft of between $50 and $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 $27,000 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 the prior year, and that other businesses he formed weren’t worth any money. He added that he had incurred about $16,000 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. Before it was disabled, the vehicle was listed as costing $105 a day, excluding taxes and fees, and it was unavailable to rent until 12:30 p.m. central time on Wednesday.

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The FBI says a 42-year-old man was responsible for the New Year’s attack that killed 15 people and injured 30 others in New Orleans and believes the driver didn’t act alone.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar identified as suspect

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S.-born citizen from Beaumont, Texas, was shot and killed by police after crashing into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street at 3:15 a.m.

Investigators recovered a handgun and AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press.

The FBI said an Islamic State group flag was recovered in the suspect’s vehicle. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were found in the vehicle and the French Quarter, and two of them were “rendered safe,” according to the FBI.

Guns and pipe bombs were found in the suspect’s vehicle, according to a Louisiana State Police bulletin. The devices were concealed within coolers and wired for remote detonation with a remote control that also was found in the vehicle, the bulletin said.

A photo circulated among law enforcement officials showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage next to the truck after he was killed. The intelligence bulletin obtained by the AP said he was wearing a ballistic vest and helmet.

Alethea Duncan, an assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s New Orleans field office, said officials were investigating the discovery of at least one suspected IED at the scene.

President Joe Biden said the New Orleans attacker had posted video on social media indicating he was inspired by the Islamic State group.

Biden said the man had expressed a “desire to kill.”

FBI believes Jabbar likely didn’t act alone

The FBI is investigating the crash as an act of terrorism and does not believe Jabbar acted alone. Investigators have reviewed video of three men and a woman allegedly placing explosives in New Orleans, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.

The agency said a “range of suspects” is being sought in connection to the attack and asked anyone who had been in contact with Jabbar in the 24 hours leading up to the attack to contact the FBI.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s military experience

Before serving in the Army, Jabbar enlisted in the Navy in August 2004 under a delayed entry program but was discharged a month later, a Navy official told NewsNation.

Jabbar was part of the regular Army from March 2007 to January 2015 as a human resource specialist (42A) and information technology specialist (25B) before transitioning to the Army Reserve as an IT specialist from January 2015 to July 2020, an Army spokesperson told NewsNation.

He deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010 and held the rank of staff sergeant at the time of his discharge, according to the spokesperson.

Divorce records reveal Jabbar’s finances

Court records show Jabbar faced a deteriorating financial situation in 2022 while separating from his then-wife. Jabbar said he was $27,000 behind on house payments, accumulated $16,000 in credit card debt and wanted to quickly finalize the divorce, AP reported.

“I have exhausted all means of bringing the loan current other than a loan modification, leaving us no alternative but to sell the house or allow it to go into foreclosure,” he wrote in an email to his now-ex-wife’s attorney.

His businesses were struggling, too. One, Blue Meadow Properties LLC, lost about $28,000 over the previous year. Two others he started, Jabbar Real Estate Holdings LLC and BDQ L3C, weren’t worth anything.

The divorce was approved in September 2024.

At the time, court documents show he made about $10,000 a month doing business development and other work for the consulting firm Deloitte. In a statement, Deloitte said Jabbar had “served in a staff-level role” since being hired in 2021 and that the company was doing all it could to assist authorities, AP reported.

In a promotional video for a real estate business posted to YouTube in 2020, a man with the same name as the suspect said his time in the military had taught him the importance of great service and taking everything seriously.

“I’ve taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel like what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to one be a fierce negotiator,” he said, encouraging clients to give him a call.

In the video, the man introduced himself as a manager at Blue Meadow Properties LLC, a Texas-based company whose license expired in 2022. He was registered as a real estate sales agent for four years through February 2023, records show, Reuters reported.

Law enforcement searching Jabbar’s last address

Law enforcement officers have closed off a road leading to a Houston residence that records indicate was a recent address of Jabbar.

The white mobile home was behind a gate and in a small neighborhood where goats and ducks were roaming the grass.

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