By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-02 20:11:44 | Updated at 2025-01-05 02:37:18
2 days ago
The father of an 18-year-old killed in the New Orleans French Quarter terror attack on New Year’s Day has revealed to to DailyMail.com the heartbreaking final text he received from his son.
Kareem Badawi travelled to the popular New Year’s Eve celebration with friends before sending his father one final message moments before his death saying: ‘Happy New Year Daddy’,
Belal Badawi told DailyMail.com that his son was a ‘good honest hard worker’, who was studying mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama.
‘We’re going through an awful time right now, our son is just 18 years old’, he said. ‘He is a good kid, he’s smart.
‘Everyone was back together for the holiday period, that’s why he was back in town.
‘I texted him at midnight to say Happy New Year, and he replied saying ‘Happy New Year Daddy’, and that’s the last time I heard from him.
‘We kept calling him after we saw the news, because we knew he was in the attack area.’
The family then drove to New Orleans from their home in Baton Rouge in an attempt to track down Kareem.
The father Kareem Badawi, 18, who was killed in the New Orleans French Quarter terror attack on New Year’s Day has revealed the heartbreaking final text he got from his son
The teen's final message said, 'Happy New Year Daddy', but just moments later he was dead
Kareem’s father confirmed that one of his son’s friends, Parker Vidrine, was also critically injured in the attack.
Vidrine's family told Kareem’s father that he had been hit by the car, with Belal adding: ‘We were hoping he was just injured or something, but it was the worst new that he lost his life.’
The Badawi family also say that the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office are currently refusing to release Kareem’s body or allow the family to go and see him.
His father added: ‘We’re trying to get the body, but they won’t release it. We are frustrated, I want to just get my kid, at least to see him and they won’t even let me do that.
‘We aren’t being given any kind of time frame, and to me it will be a relief when I can bury my son. I want to be done with the procedure as soon as I can’.
His father described terror suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, as ‘evil’, asking ‘What kind of evil would do something like that? Killing civilian people, killing my kid.’
The US Army Vet, born and raised in Texas drove an electric vehicle from Houston to Louisiana to carry out the deadly attack which killed 15 and left at least 35 injured.
Authorities confirmed that he had an ISIS flag in the back of his truck, and posted several videos shortly before the massacre explaining that he had joined the terror organization back in summer.
Badawi travelled to the popular New Year’s Eve celebration with friends, one of whom was also critically injured
His father Belal Badawi said the family is going through 'an awful time' as they mourn the loss of Kareem
Kareem was one of 15 people killed when a vehicle plowed into crowds at the New Year celebrations in the French Quarter
The teen's father described terror suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, as ‘evil’
Belal blasted the terrorist, telling DailyMail.com: ‘This guy is not representing any religion at all. What reason is there to justify killing civilians or innocent people?
‘It’s just terrorists, they brainwash them, they have. Mental sickness, and they do a stupid thing like that.’
Kareem is one of six victims who have been identified so far by their families.
Tiger Bech, 28, Ni'Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, Reggie Hunter, 37, Matthew Tenedorio, 25, Kareem Badawi, Nicole Perez, 27, and Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, all died in the attack.
