The man who brought terror to the streets of New Orleans left dozens of religious items in his dilapidated Texas trailer.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, told neighbors he was moving to a furnished apartment in the Big Easy so he wouldn’t need his belongings.
But in addition to the cheap furniture he left behind in the caravan, there was also a Koran, prayer mats and a book on Islamic banking and finance.
That book, The Art of RF (Riba-Free) Islamic Banking and Finance, claims to take “a modern American approach to integrating Islamic financial principles into banking and investment techniques.”
Riba – charging interest on loans – is prohibited in Islamic finance as it is considered an unjust profit.
When DailyMail.com visited the house on the eastern edge of the Heritage Village section of the city early Thursday, the front door was closed. But when we returned later that day, it had been kicked off its hinges for the world to see inside.
Jabbar, 42, drove his pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day, killing 15 people and injuring at least 35 others. He was shot dead during a shootout with police.
He was an open admirer of the Islamic terror group ISIS and had the group’s flag flying from his vehicle.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, lived in a dilapidated trailer on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, DailyMail.com can reveal
Photos from DailyMail.com show how the accused killer lived and what he left behind before embarking on his deadly rampage, callously mowing down innocent bystanders, killing 15 people and injuring dozens of others on New Year’s Day
In the kitchen there were supplies on the counter and a white fire extinguisher. A military green backpack sat on the floor under the kitchen counter, next to a black trash can
And his home in a largely Muslim neighborhood in north Houston shows his devotion to Islam. A copy of the Koran lay open on an easel next to a vase of artificial flowers.
Other books in the house included a seven-volume set known as the Islamic Library, including a book entitled ‘The Sealed Nectar’ – a comprehensive biography of the Prophet Muhammad and several pamphlets on comparative religions.
Although the house was messy, it was clean.
The house gives the impression that Jabbar left in a hurry. A suitcase and two prayer mats, along with a black belt, were thrown over a blue couch in the living room.
Incongruously among the religious objects in his living room, a dartboard hung on the wall next to a fake fireplace.
At the front door, Jabbar left a mobile credit card machine, duct tape, bubble wrap and several pairs of shoes.
In the kitchen, there were pantry items on the counter, next to a white fire extinguisher. A military green backpack sat on the floor under the kitchen counter, next to a black trash can.
Near the kitchen, Jabbar had a desk with some papers and other items on it. There is a room where his computer hard drive had been seized by police hours earlier.
Photos from DailyMail.com offer a glimpse into Jabbar’s messy but clean home, which he left to carry out his bloody rampage
He had a bookshelf full of various religious books, including a large Quran that stood open on an easel next to a vase of artificial flowers
On the floor under his desk was a portable filing box. Although the place looked looted, it was clean. Outside his trailer is a room where he stores outdoor gear. Through a closet door where you could see several cans of spray paint.
According to a neighbor, Jabbar left his home just hours before New Year’s Day, saying he was moving to New Orleans for a better job.
Muntaz Bashir told the New York Post that Jabbar had left just hours before the 3:15 am attack.
Bashir said the neighbor looked normal when he spoke to him. ‘Unfortunately you can’t read someone’s mind. I was shocked.’
Police believe Jabbar, a U.S. citizen born and raised in Texas, drove an electric vehicle from Houston to Louisiana to carry out the deadly attack that killed 15 people and injured at least 35.
Investigators are looking into the theory that he rented a nearby property on Airbnb in New Orleans’ St. Roch neighborhood for his base before carrying out the attack.
Exclusive photos from DailyMail.com show the moment the FBI removed bomb-making materials from the two-bedroom, two-bathroom property near the French Quarter.
A total containment vessel was removed from the building around 8 p.m. on New Year’s Day, hours after authorities evacuated residents from the area.
Jabbar told neighbors he was moving to a furnished apartment in New Orleans so he wouldn’t need his belongings
Outside his caravan there was a room where he stored garden and outdoor supplies, there was another cupboard door where you could see several cans of spray paint
The area is mainly rented out to tourists who travel to the area for the holiday period and now have no place to stay.
Authorities told one couple they “shouldn’t count on” regaining access to the property, closing a three-block radius.
The FBI was joined by special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Homeland Security.
A spokeswoman for the ATF confirmed they were involved in assisting the investigation, but could not comment further when contacted by DailyMail.com.
Officials were called to the property after firefighters extinguished a blaze at the rental property in the early hours, with sources claiming ‘bomb making materials’ had been found.
State Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC News, “We know that these individuals had rented the home and were using it for that purpose.”
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom property was renovated by property developer Oliver Doxater of Wysteria Properties.
Sources believe that Jabbar could have rented out the property through Airbnb or another rental service before the deadly attack.
Jabbar was killed by police after he rammed a truck into pedestrians celebrating the New Year, got out of the vehicle and started shooting.
The vehicle, which was rented by Jabbar through the car rental app Turo, reportedly carried an ISIS flag and a box with explosives inside.
Suspect Jabbar is said to have made a series of videos that are being reviewed by police.
Multiple officials told CNN that the footage appears to have been taken while driving at night and does not show the suspect in it.
Authorities believe the videos were taken while he was driving from Texas to Louisiana, although the timing is unclear.
The recordings refer to his divorce and that he planned to gather his family for a fake party so he could kill them.
The suspect also allegedly told how he joined ISIS and about dreams he had about joining the terrorist group.
His brother told The New York Times that his brother was a caring man. Abdur Jabbar, 24, of Beaumont, Texas, told the outlet, “(He was) a real sweetheart, a nice guy, a friend, very smart, caring.”
He said his brother converted to Islam at a young age, and that “what he did does not represent Islam. This is more a form of radicalization, not religion.’