Crime

3:11 PM PT -- Jabbar made a series of recordings just hours before the attack in which he said he was planning to kill his family. This makes the story below way more ominous. According to CNN, which got the information from an FBI source, Jabbar pivoted and decided to conduct the terrorist attack in New Orleans in the name of ISIS, because he wanted to kill.

The terrorist who killed at least 10 people in a violent attack in New Orleans early Wednesday had a divorce that was acrimonious enough that his then-wife got a restraining order against him.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, seen above in a video he had posted, was in the throes of a divorce during the pandemic, when his wife, Shaneen Chantil Jabbar, went to court to get a restraining order.

We do not have a copy of the wife's petition, but we do have the order of the judge who granted the restraining order. It says, among other things, "both parties are prohibited from "threatening the other party or a child of either party with imminent bodily injury."

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.

The Sugar Bowl -- one of the most anticipated football games of the year -- has been postponed twenty-four hours after a horrific New Year's Day attack left scores dead in the city of New Orleans, the location of the big CFB quarterfinal tilt.

Jeff Hundley, CEO of the Sugar Bowl, announced Wednesday morning that the football game between 2-seeded University of Georgia and 7-seeded Notre Dame University would kick off Thursday night just before 8 PM local time, instead of Wednesday night as planned, after consulting with the teams, TV network, and others.

"All parties and all agree that it's in the best in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours," Hundley said.

Matthew Stafford is pulling out all the stops to make sure he's not the next athlete targeted in the recent string of burglaries -- TMZ Sports is told the Rams quarterback invited police officers and NFL security to inspect his L.A. area home for any potential weak spots.

Law enforcement sources tell us league staffers and cops met at the Super Bowl champ's residence this month to scope out his current setup ... and provided tips and safety measures on what his family can do further to deter crooks from targeting his pad.

While Stafford himself was not present, we're told the NFL specifically asked the cops about the South American burglary crews believed to be behind all the hits ... as well as how they can work together to make it more difficult for the criminals to execute their operation.

Joe Budden was charged earlier this month ... after authorities claimed his neighbor saw him outside their apartment on Ring Camera footage -- completely naked.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ ... Budden was charged on December 4 in Edgewater, New Jersey for lewdness.

The Edgewater Police Department released a statement on December 30 about the incident after news of the charge broke online ... explaining officers were called to an apartment complex in the area at approximately 7:21 AM.

Jay-Z's attorney says there are a bunch of holes in the rape lawsuit against the rapper ... and he's looking to have the case thrown out.

In new court documents obtained by TMZ ... Alex Spiro, the lawyer representing the rap mogul, says he's gearing up to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit against Jay-Z ... claiming the statute "Jane Doe" is suing under didn't even take effect until after the alleged sexual assault ... and can't be applied against the rapper retroactively.

As Jay-Z's attorney puts it ... the statute was enacted in December 2000 -- 3 months after Jane Doe claimed she was sexually assaulted by Jay-Z and Diddy at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party.

Simu Liu's 2024 is ending on a not-so-Marvel-ous note ... 'cause his house was broken into last week -- though we're told there may be a silver lining for the actor.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Simu's Los Angeles-area home was broken into Friday when someone smashed a glass door around 11 PM.

Security was alerted to the break-in at Liu's home and called police ... who searched the house for any suspects, but no one was inside.

The FBI is warning pro athletes to be vigilant ... confirming Monday groups of organized thieves are targeting stars' homes in search of high-priced valuables.

The feds issued the alert just a couple days after NBA superstar Luka Doncic became the latest A-lister to have his place broken into ... explaining criminals are hitting residences belonging to big-time players while they're on the road or at games.

"These homes are targeted for burglary due to the perception they may have high-end goods like designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and cash," FBI officials said, according to ABC News.

The disturbing trend of celebrity athletes having their homes broken into continued over the weekend ... as Luka Doncic's Dallas-area residence was burglarized.

According to the Mavericks superstar's business manager, Lara Beth Seager, the break-in occurred on Friday night ... as the Mavs were in Phoenix for a game against the Suns.

Thankfully, Seager said in a statement, no one was home at the time of the incident ... and "Luka and his family are safe."

Several people connected to Liam Payne's death are facing formal charges in Argentina ... according to local reports in the Latin American country.

Infobae -- an Argentinian online newspaper -- revealed Saturday that sources with direct knowledge of the case confirmed five people have been charged by a judge.

Among them ... Liam's friend Roger Nores -- who says he left Liam at the CasaSur Palermo hotel about an hour before he fell to his death -- who authorities have charged with negligent homicide.

Keanu Reeves is a lucky man as police have arrested a suspect who stole three expensive pieces of jewelry from the actor and the items turned up half way around the world.

According to CNN Chile, police in Chile arrested a 21-year-old suspect over the weekend after they recovered three watches belonging to "John Wick" star including a Rolex believed to have been stolen from his Los Angeles home back in 2023.

One of the watches is a $9,000 Rolex Submariner that KR had inscripted with his first name and the words "2021, JW4, thank you, The John Wick Five." According to CNN, cops located the watch on Saturday during a raid targeting local robberies.

Three officers who the New York State Attorney General's Office claims were present when Robert Brooks was beaten are named in other lawsuits alleging brutal beatings at the hands of prison guards.

In documents reviewed by TMZ ... Nicholas Anzalone, Glenn Trombly and Anthony Farina -- all three suspended pending further investigation by New York's Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner -- are named as defendants in lawsuits filed by incarcerated or formally incarcerated individuals.

In a lawsuit filed in September 2022, a man named Adam Bauer sued Anzalone along with several other correctional officers ... after he claimed he suffered an unprovoked beating by one for smoking a cigarette in a bathroom in 2020.

12/30 12:24 PM PT -- James Miller, rep for NYS Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association tells TMZ ... "NYSCOPBA’s Executive Board has reviewed the video footage released by the Attorney General regarding the death of Robert Brooks at Marcy Correctional Facility.  What we have witnessed is reprehensible. It is clear to all of us that these actions are a disgrace to our profession and have put everyone inside our facilities at risk. As correction officers and sergeants, we have a duty to protect every person inside a correctional facility. At all times, we must be ready to stop those seeking to do harm, and that includes fellow staff. We, as an organization, stand in complete defiance of the callous disregard for the suffering that we have all witnessed on this video. NYSCOPBA will continue to fulfill its legal obligation to defend all members from all administrative charges, regardless of severity or public outcry. However, as more information becomes readily available, NYSCOPBA must continue to focus its efforts on advocating on behalf of those members who dutifully come to work every day and act with the professionalism and selflessness demanded of them."

Body cam footage of corrections officers brutally beating a restrained inmate -- who died hours later -- has been released by the New York State Attorney General ... showing officers hitting the bloodied man repeatedly.

The video shows Robert Brooks -- an inmate serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault -- repeatedly being punched and kicked ... and, one man appears to gag him with a towel.

Videos released by the attorney general's office show one officer repeatedly striking Brooks in his midsection with a shoe as other officers hold him down with his arms behind him. At one point, the officers lift Brooks up by his neck ... he's got blood all over his face and he can't even hold up his own weight.

New technology could transform the way our legal system works ... because a judge in Florida put on a virtual reality headset to get a better sense of a defendant's testimony.

Attorney Ken Padowitz is using VR to defend his client in a criminal case, and he joined us on "TMZ Live" to explain how the fancy tech is being introduced to the legal system.

Ken's client is Miguel Albisu ... the guy owns a wedding venue in Florida and is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Albisu brandished a gun at a wedding reception, but says he was acting in self-defense after some of the attendees started getting rowdy.

John Bennett Ramsey has plans to meet with local police once again ... in hopes of convincing them to use new DNA-testing technology to solve his daughter's killing.

The father of JonBenét is expected to speak with the Boulder Police Department in Colorado again in January, along with representatives from a leading DNA lab, to push for a new approach to evidence authorities collected nearly three decades ago.

John explains there is new DNA tech that could separate mixed samples ... a major issue with DNA collected at the time, he says. Ramsey's hopeful the police will allow an independent lab to conduct testing on the old crime scene items. JonBenét was killed on Christmas night in 1996, and her body was found hours later, after she had been reported missing.

Peter Thomas' prison sentence isn’t the only thing he’s dealing with in his tax case -- a judge just laid out a bunch of conditions for his supervised release when he gets out of prison.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ, the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star has to join a substance abuse testing program during his two years of supervised release once he finishes serving his 18-month prison sentence.

He’ll have to stick to the conditions of his supervised release ... and it looks like his probation officer will be keeping an eye on him and can search him if they have a reason to suspect something’s up.