The FBI found that the man who staged a deadly attack on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day surveyed the area using Meta smart glasses in October 2024, the Washington Post reports.
He used the tech-savvy glasses to record footage of the area during a bicycle ride. Authorities found the footage while investigating and also recovered video of where the suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, placed explosive devices on Bourbon Street. FBI’s special agent in charge for New Orleans, Lyonel Myrthil, said Jabbar is believed to have worn the glasses when he rammed a white Ford pick-up truck down the popular tourist attraction, killing 14 innocent people. “We believe he was wearing them throughout the evening” of the attack, Myrthil said.
“We don’t have any indication that he was actually recording, but he was wearing those glasses.”
The glasses, which permit hands-free video recording, would have allowed the suspect to capture detailed footage of the area without drawing any attention. Created by Meta, the parent company of Facebook, the glasses were curated in partnership with eyewear conglomerate Ray-Ban. The frames hold a built-in camera, speakers, and artificial intelligence that carry voice control, buttons, and simple functions such as listening to music, according to the Associated Press
.They are also required to be paired with a phone or able to access the internet to use Meta’s AI assistant.
While a Meta spokesperson declined to comment on the discovery, more has been revealed about the glasses’ functionality. The frames can capture images and videos using the onboard camera and then upload them to Instagram or Facebook. Live streaming is also available. The AI assistant can see what a user sees and translate texts into several foreign languages. If a user asks the AI assistant a question, the glasses will answer and permit a person to search for the nearest landmark close to the user’s location.
The glasses allow bystanders to know if they are being recorded or not. The LED privacy indicator stays on while you use the camera functions, and users can’t disable the light to be more discreet.
As the loved ones of the victims of the attack look for answers, law enforcement is doing the same with their investigation. Myrthil and his team found that Jabbar did a bit of traveling before the attack. He traveled to the city
again in November 2024 and went to Cairo in the summer of 2023 before flying to Ontario, Canada, and then back to the United States. “Our agents are getting answers as to where he went, who he met with, and how those trips may or may not tie into his actions here in our city of New Orleans,” the agent said.RELATED CONTENT: Haitian Cuisine Featured On TasteAtlas’ Top 100 List