NOLA Massacre Terrorist's Ex-Wife Says He Was Abusive

A Former wife of Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the terrorist at the center of the New Year attack in New Orleans, is in disbelief ... but recounts a marriage she says was "abusive" -- and this is a different wife from the one who got a restraining order against him.

The ex-wife, Tiera, tells TMZ … she was married to Shamsud-Din for about 5 years before they divorced in 2016. She says their union was unhappy, saying Shamsud-Din abused her ... though she would not get specific.

Still, Tiera tells us she didn't think he was capable of mass murder and had no clue how such hatred washed over him.

According to Tiera, she last heard from Shamsud-Din about 2 months ago ... he reached out to tell her he'd been thinking about the son they lost -- she suffered a miscarriage 6 months into her pregnancy while they were married.

Per Tiera, Shamsud-Din reached out to her on Facebook and asked for some of their late son's belongings. She says they had a pleasant conversation ... just reflecting on the past.

Tiera thought Shamsud-Din was doing better, although she decided to block him online in order to move on with her life ... they had no contact for years prior to that conversation.

Tiera says she learned on Facebook Shamsud-Din was practicing Islam ... adding he wasn't religious when they were married.

Tiera was married to Jabbar before the woman who got a restraining order against him in 2020. TMZ broke the story, a judge issued an order prohibiting violence against the spouse or child and also prohibited him from running off with their child.

As TMZ previously reported ... at least 15 people were left dead and dozens injured after a pickup truck was intentionally driven into a crowd on Bourbon Street early Wednesday.

Authorities have named Shamsud-Din as the driver ... a 42-year-old man from Texas, who had an ISIS flag in the back of the truck. He died following a shootout with police.