Missouri man charged over bomb-making videos used by New Orleans attacker

A Missouri man has been charged with posting online instructions for making explosives that were later used by the man who carried out the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans, according to federal prosecutors.

Jordan Derrick, 40, is accused of making explosive materials without a license, possessing an unregistered destructive device and distributing information about how to manufacture explosives, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri announced Tuesday.

The complaint says Derrick had been posting videos on several social media sites since at least September 2023, showing himself making explosive materials and giving step-by-step instructions.

Prosecutors said the videos were downloaded from Derrick’s publicly available accounts by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who carried out the January 1, 2025, attack in New Orleans.

Jabbar made improvised explosive devices consistent with Derrick’s videos, according to the complaint. The devices did not detonate and were later rendered safe by law enforcement.

The case also has a possible link to an explosion on May 4 at a private residence in Odessa, Missouri, east of Kansas City. Investigators who searched the home found two components suspected of being used in explosive devices.

The occupant told investigators that he made explosive devices after watching online tutorials on a social media account believed to be used by Derrick, prosecutors said. The investigation into the Odessa explosion is ongoing.

Derrick faces up to 10 years in prison on each of the manufacturing and possession counts, and up to 20 years on the charge of distributing information about making explosives.