Before carrying out the truck attack in Louisiana's New Orleans on January 1, suspect Shamsud-din Jabbar meticulously planned the rampage that killed 14 people. 

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Citing investigators, a report by CNN early Tuesday (Jan 7) said that Jabbar had been preparing for the Bourbon Street attack for months.

Jabbar was a US Army veteran with a service record of 13 years. Hours before the attack, he had posted videos on social media that he was inspired by the Islamic State and expressed a desire to kill.

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The accused was killed by the police after he exited the truck and opened fire on responding officers.

How was the rampage planned?

> As per the CNN report, Jabbar visited New Orleans at least twice in months before the attack, in October and November. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Jabbar stayed in an Airbnb starting from October 30. The stay lasted for at least two days.

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> The FBI said that during his visit to New Orleans in October, the man used Meta smart glasses. These glasses are capable of taking photos and videos and use artificial intelligence (AI) to answer questions about an area's surroundings.

> Jabbar rented the Airbnb in the St. Roch neighbourhood about 1.5 miles away from the scene of the attack. He set fire to the rental about 15 minutes after midnight on January 1, just before leaving to carry out the truck attack.

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> After leaving the Airbnb, he placed two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), in coolers on Bourbon Street. CNN reported that he placed one in a rolling cooler and the other in a bucket cooler and left them in the street.

> However, neither of the IEDs detonated. Officials pointed out that the attacker constructed the IEDs using commonly found explosives in the US.

> The FBI said that before entering New Orleans on December 31, Jabbar visited a gun store in Texas, and then another store from where he bought the ice coolers to place the IEDs.

> He earlier rented an electric Ford F-150 pickup truck in Houston using the private vehicle rental website Turo and picked it up on December 30. This truck was used in the attack.

(With inputs from agencies)