The suspected New Orleans new year terrorist was a Texas-born US citizen who served in the US military, it has emerged.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was named by the FBI as being responsible for the car ramming attack which left 10 people dead and 30 more injured.
Details of his background began emerging after he was killed by police, including his life as an estate agent, his divorce and his financial troubles.
Jabbar had served for a number of years with the US Army, though that was some time ago, reports said.
The FBI said Jabbar is believed to have been honourably discharged and the Pentagon is said to be poring through its records to locate more information about his services and where he had been based.
It appears Jabbar had been working as a property manager and real estate agent less than four years ago.
In a video believed to be posted by Jabbar on YouTube, he said he worked for both the Midas Group and Blue Meadow Properties. He also said he was born in Beaumont, Texas, but was then based in Houston.
"I've been here all my life, with the exception of travelling for the military, where I spent ten years as a human resources and IT specialist," said Jabbar, who wore a grey blazer and light blue shirt.
He said he "learned the meaning of great service and what it means to be responsive and take everything seriously, dotting Is and crossing Ts to make sure that things go off without a hitch".
He added: "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 a fierce negotiator."
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Jabbar, whose truck was carrying a home-made Islamic State flag, made a legal filing in August 2022 as part of a divorce proceeding, according to the New York Times.
In it he said he worked at the accounting firm Deloitte and made about $120,000 a year.
He was in considerable financial problems, he owed more than $27,000 in late home payments and was at risk of foreclosure, he said, and that he had taken on $16,000 in credit card debt because of his living expenses.
A search by RocketReach suggests Jabbar was educated at Central Texas College from 2008-2010, where he obtained an associate's degree in IT.
He then received a bachelor's degree in computer information systems from Georgia State University, where he studied between 2015-2017.
On Wednesday morning, Alethea Duncan, the FBI assistant special agent in charge of the investigation, told a press conference: "We do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible" for Wednesday's attack.
Reports said federal agents were positioned at the home of the suspect's second wife in north Houston on Wednesday.
The New York Times said her new husband, Dwayne Marsh, said that the suspect had begun to convert to Islam within the last year and was "being all crazy". He said that the suspect had two daughters, one a teenager and one a young adult, and that they were "a mess" after the attack.
The Associated Press said a photograph circulated among law enforcement officials in New Orleans showed a bearded Jabbar wearing camouflage, lying next to the truck after he was killed by police.
Reports said an Islamic State flag was with him in his truck. Images from the scene showed a homemade "flag" consisting of a piece of white plastic, attached to the vehicle, with a grey puffer jacket wrapped around it.
It was not clear if that was the flag officials that was being referred to in various reports.
Officials said they were able to recover a handgun and an AR-15 style rifle from the white Ford F-150 Lightning electric pick-up truck.
The vehicle had been registered to a different man from Texas, but had been listed on Turo, a website that allows owners to rent out their vehicles to other people. The vehicle was not owned by the suspect.
The FBI said in its statement a potential improvised explosive device was located in the vehicle, and that other potential explosive devices were found in the area of the attack separate from where the man rammed the crowd.
The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism. Officials also believe he was not working alone. It is not clear how or when he became radicalised.