In the early morning hours of New Year’s Day 2025, a 42-year-old Army veteran named Shamsud-Din Jabbar deliberately drove a rented truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 14 people and injuring many more. After exiting the vehicle, he was killed in a shootout with police. A crude pipe bomb was discovered a few blocks away. Investigators immediately focused on the motive for the attack and whether additional threats existed.
Rapid response
LeoTech went into action the same day, searching for information to aid the investigation. The team used LeoTech’s Verus communications analysis platform alongside the Thomson Reuters CLEAR investigation solution.
LeoTech team
“We jumped on CLEAR to help us track down information on the suspect’s friends, associates, or family members, using information on the vehicle used in the attack as a starting point,” says Chad Borjesson, LeoTech’s Director of Account Management. Borjesson explains that the goal is often to find the suspect’s previous addresses, including childhood addresses, which can provide a link to other family members or associates.
7 critical calls
“In this instance, we were able to track down multiple phone numbers that we ran through our active accounts in Verus,” he recalls, noting that seven phone calls had originated from a Texas correctional facility, placed by an inmate to Jabbar. “During those conversations, Jabbar discussed when he converted to Islam, when he became radicalized, and why.”
The LeoTech team confirmed that Jabbar received the calls on a cell phone registered in his name and linked to him through financial documents, confirming his association with the communications. This information helped investigators confirm the motive for the attack.
All told, the LeoTech team analyzed 97 phone numbers and cross-referenced more than 544 million calls, producing 12 intelligence reports. Borjesson says CLEAR played a critical role in the process, working together with LeoTech’s Verus platform.
The value of CLEAR
“There’s no way we would have found those seven phone calls without CLEAR — it would have been impossible. It took just minutes using CLEAR,” he says, adding that the LeoTech team delivered critical information within hours of the attack, accelerating the commitment of investigative resources. Ultimately, bomb-making materials were recovered from the suspect’s home in Houston. Borjesson says CLEAR enables investigators to quickly and easily create a broader individual profile.
“I can see the complete picture of that person, all their associates, and previous addresses. And I can evaluate the strength of the source materials, which may change how I use the information,” he explains. “There are situations where I need to identify the receiver of a phone call or a third party — sometimes only mentioned by a nickname. CLEAR comes into play there, as well.”
A flexible tool
Borjesson says CLEAR enables users to search in multiple ways.
“If I’m not finding what I’m looking for, I just come at it from a different angle — and usually I can find it. The information is there. You may have to find an associate or relative and approach it from a different angle. I never give up with CLEAR.”
In today’s world, where communications technology plays a central role, having tools like CLEAR and Verus can reveal valuable insights that give law enforcement an edge in solving and preventing crimes.
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is a leading provider of business information services. Our products include highly specialized, information-enabled software and tools for legal, tax, accounting, and compliance professionals, combined with the world’s most global news service — Reuters.
