Misinformation Spreads About New Orleans Attack Suspect Following False Claims
A Fox News report fueled incorrect online speculation, including claims that the suspect was an illegal immigrant.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the 42-year-old suspect behind the deadly truck attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day, was a U.S. citizen and U.S. Army veteran. Despite this, false claims quickly spread online, alleging that Jabbar had entered the U.S. illegally just days before the attack. The misinformation was largely fueled by a misleading report from Fox News, which cited anonymous federal sources.
The attack, which killed 15 people and is being investigated as an act of terrorism, occurred early on January 1 when Jabbar allegedly drove a rented Ford F-150 truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. Hours later, political figures, including President-elect Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers, began speculating about Jabbar’s immigration status. A claim circulated on social media, largely based on Fox News coverage, stating that Jabbar had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border just two days earlier.
On January 1, U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene shared a 38-second Fox News clip on X (formerly Twitter), falsely claiming that Jabbar "crossed the border in Eagle Pass TWO DAYS AGO!!! Shut the border down!!!" Donald Trump Jr. echoed similar sentiments, suggesting that "migrant terrorists" were entering the country under the Biden administration’s policies.
However, the story started to unravel as Fox News itself walked back its initial report. The network had initially stated that the truck driven in the attack had crossed the southern border at Eagle Pass, Texas, just days earlier. This was later corrected when Fox News confirmed that the truck had actually crossed in mid-November, well before the attack, and that Jabbar was not the driver at that time.
Despite Fox’s correction, the damage had been done. False claims about Jabbar’s immigration status continued to circulate online, fueled by high-profile figures and social media influencers who perpetuated the narrative of an illegal immigrant perpetrating the attack.
Fox News Timeline and Initial Misreporting
On January 1, as law enforcement agencies were still working to piece together the facts, Fox News reported that the truck involved in the attack had crossed into the U.S. at Eagle Pass. At 10:40 a.m. ET, a Fox reporter claimed that federal sources had traced the truck's license plate to the border crossing just days before the attack.
However, the initial confusion came when Fox News correspondents clarified that they did not know if Jabbar had been the person driving the truck. At 10:47 a.m. ET, reporter David Spunt confirmed that the truck was traced to Eagle Pass, but emphasized that the identity of the driver was still unclear.
By 11:55 a.m. ET, Fox News issued a correction on air, acknowledging that the truck had actually crossed the border in mid-November, not two days prior to the attack, and that the driver was not Jabbar. Despite the correction, the original misinformation continued to spread unchecked on social media.
Continued Misinformation
Even after Fox News issued a correction, some influential figures continued to spread the false narrative. Donald Trump, Jr. and others kept pushing the idea that the Biden administration’s border policies were responsible for the attack, even after it had been confirmed that Jabbar was a U.S. citizen. In a post on January 2, Trump again tied the attack to his earlier criticism of U.S. border policies, blaming the incident on what he described as the “Biden ‘Open Border’s Policy.’”
On January 2, Christopher Raia, the FBI's Deputy Assistant Director for Counterterrorism, confirmed that Jabbar had rented the truck in Houston on December 30 and had driven to New Orleans on December 31, contradicting the earlier claims about his immigration status.
The Fallout and Impact of Misinformation
The spread of misinformation surrounding Jabbar’s immigration status highlights the dangers of unchecked speculation in the aftermath of high-profile incidents. Even after the truth was confirmed, the false narrative about Jabbar’s supposed illegal immigration status persisted online, fueled by political rhetoric and social media influence. While law enforcement agencies continued to investigate the attack as a potential act of terrorism, the false claims about Jabbar’s immigration status overshadowed the facts for many.
The incident underscores the importance of responsible reporting and the need to verify information before it spreads, especially when it comes to sensitive issues like immigration and terrorism. As misinformation continues to spread rapidly across social media, the need for accurate and timely reporting has never been more crucial.