New Orleans Terrorist’s Hometown Mosque Tells Members To Refer Inquiries To CAIR

A mosque near the home of the suspected ISIS member behind the New Year’s Eve terrorist attack in New Orleans directed members to refer FBI inquiries to CAIR, a controversial group whose leader celebrated Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israeli civilians.

Fifteen people were killed and 35 injured when 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an American citizen and Army veteran from Texas, rammed a white pickup truck through a crowd in a blocked-off area of the French Quarter before opening fire. Jabbar, who was in possession of an ISIS flag, was killed by law enforcement at the scene.

The Houston Masjid Bilal, which is affiliated with the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), posted to social media encouraging its members to not respond to inquiries from the media and “if approached by the FBI and a response is necessary, please refer to CAIR and ISGH.”

CONFIRMED posting by the mosque reportedly attended by the NOLA terrorist, instructing members to refer all inquiries by @FBI, law enforcement and media to legal representation of CAIR. pic.twitter.com/4tNIMlccWg

— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) January 2, 2025

The statement instructed members to remain vigilant and added that it is “crucial that we stay united at this time as we condemn these terrible acts.”

The Middle East Media Research Institute shared a video on Thursday of Masjid Bilal’s Imam, Eiad Soudan, going on an anti-Semitic tirade where he explains why he thinks Hitler killed Jews.

“Why does the whole world want them to stay in Palestine? Because if they don’t stay in Palestine, they will go back to their countries,” and “they like to take control of the economy, everywhere they go…That is why the other countries don’t want them back.”

“Until this guy Hitler, with the nice moustache, came to power, he became empowered and we all know what he did. By the way, Hitler hated the Israelites so bad because of the economy thing they were in control of the economy.”

Eiad Soudan, Imam of Houston Mosque Where New Orleans Attacker Worshiped: Jews Seek to Control the Economy Wherever They Go, That’s Why Hitler Killed Them; Europeans Support Israel Because They Don’t Want Jews Back in Their Countries (Archival) pic.twitter.com/AFXc7cIC82

— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) January 2, 2025

An FBI spokesperson on Thursday said that Jabbar posted five videos online about his terrorism plans and his support for ISIS.

“Jabbar explains that he originally planned to harm his family and friends but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the quote ‘war between the believers and the disbelievers,’” the FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said. “He states that he joined ISIS before this summer.”

FBI: Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the Islamic terrorist who attacked New Orleans’ French Quarter, joined ISIS before last summer. pic.twitter.com/lx8LzQCzcs

— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) January 2, 2025

Raia said the FBI believes Jabbar acted alone, renting a Ford F-150 in Houston before driving to New Orleans on the 31st. Two functional IEDs were found in coolers near the attack site, and authorities are investigating three recovered phones and two laptops linked to Jabbar.

“Whether you know Jabbar personally, worked with him, served in the military, or saw him in New Orleans or Texas, we need to talk to you,” he said. “You may not think you have relevant information, but what you know could tie in to one of our investigative leads.”

CAIR told The Daily Wire that they have not yet assumed an official role of handling inquiries for Houston Masjid Bilal, but strongly condemned the terror attack in a statement.

“We join the New Orleans Muslim community in extending our condolences to the families of those killed in the horrific, senseless and infuriating Bourbon Street attack,” CAIR wrote in a statement. “May God comfort the families of the victims, heal the injured and protect humanity from those who dare to commit such cowardly acts of mass violence.”

It added that Jabbar had a history of drunk driving, spousal abuse, and allegedly plotted to kill his family before “experiencing dreams telling him to join Daesh (ISIS).”

“[H]is crime is the latest example of why cruel, merciless, bottom-feeding extremist groups have been rejected by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim world – from Islamic scholars, to mosques, to organizations, and to individual Muslims,” CAIR added.

A spokesperson was unable to confirm if Jabbar was a member of the mosque.

The Daily Wire previously reported that CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said he was “happy to see” Gazans “breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land” on October 7, the day Hamas massacred over a thousand Israeli civilians. He added that Israel does not have the right to self-defense.

The Biden administration distanced itself from Awad following the remarks and removed CAIR as a partner from a White House fact sheet for its National Strategy to Counter Anti-Semitism.

On October 7, as Hamas was still actively attacking Israeli communities, CAIR’s official X account posted its “support for the Palestinian people’s right to freedom and calling for an end to the Israeli occupation.”

The post blamed Israel for Hamas’ attack, claiming the Jewish state “sparks the deadly violence that we see again and again, including today.” The thread on X concluded by calling on the U.S., and Arab and Muslim governments to “exert maximum pressure on the Israeli government” to “respect Palestinian human rights and end the occupation,” despite the attackers coming from Gaza which Israel withdrew from in 2005.

The Anti-Defamation League notes that other CAIR leaders have made anti-Semitic remarks, including CAIR’s San Francisco Bay Area Executive Director, Zahra Billoo, who once declared that “Zionists” are “your enemies,” warning followers to “pay attention” to “Zionist synagogues,” Hillels, and Jewish federations. After October 7, Billoo said the violence was the world “witnessing decolonization.”

Hussam Ayloush, CEO and Executive Director of CAIR Greater Los Angeles Area once said Israel does not have a right to defend itself, and asserted that “Israel should be attacked.”

Similarly, on October 7 and 9, Zainab Chaudry, CAIR’s Director of Maryland Outreach, referred to Hamas’ attack as an “uprising” against “colonizers” and called Hamas terrorists “Palestinian freedom fighters.” In November, Abdullah Jaber, Executive Director, CAIR Florida, stated that Israeli Jews are not followers of “Abraham, Moses, or Jesus.”