Federal prosecutors have charged a Missouri resident with distributing online bomb-making instructions that a terrorist used to construct explosive devices deployed during the deadly New Year's Day attack in New Orleans.
Jordan Derrick, 40, of Sweet Springs, Missouri, faces three federal counts: manufacturing explosives without a license, possessing an unregistered destructive device, and illegally distributing information on how to make explosives. U.S. Attorney R Matthew Price announced the charges Tuesday.
The case connects to the January 1, 2025 assault when Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, drove a pickup truck into crowds celebrating New Year's Eve on Bourbon Street before police killed him. The attack claimed 14 lives and injured dozens. Jabbar also planted two improvised explosive devices in the targeted area, though neither detonated.
Investigators determined that Jabbar downloaded step-by-step instructions from Derrick's social media accounts to build those bombs. The FBI found that the explosives Jabbar constructed matched techniques Derrick began posting online starting in September 2023.
Derrick's tutorials included instructions for synthesizing military-grade materials such as RDX, TNT, and PETN, along with more complex compounds like nickel aminoguanidine perchlorate.
The investigation gained momentum following a May 4, 2026 explosion at a home in Odessa, Missouri. The resident told investigators the blast occurred after he manufactured an explosive using Derrick's tutorials.
Conviction on the charge of distributing bomb-making information carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. The other two counts each carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.
Author James Rodriguez: "This case is a stark reminder that online radicalization and weapons instruction operate on the same infrastructure, and federal authorities are finally treating the connection seriously."
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