The New Orleans terrorist who killed 14 people on New Year’s Day wore Meta Ray-Bans to secretly record the city’s streets months before the attack.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar visited New Orleans twice before the attack; Tour for a few days on 30 October as well as a city visit on 10 November. Jabbar cycled around the city using smart glasses to record the streets in the French Quarter.
Jabbar was wearing Meta Ray-Ban glasses when he carried out the attack in the early hours of the New Year, but did not activate them. After his death the police recovered the glasses.
The FBI has shared footage related to the attack that shows Jabbar bicycling around Bourbon Street where he would carry out a similar deadly massacre a few months later. He captured several clips, often looking from left to right. Another clip shows him looking at his reflection in the mirror while testing the smart glasses.
“Meta Glasses look like regular glasses but they allow the user to record hands-free video and photos,” FBI New Orleans Special Agent Lionel Myrthill told the news media.
“They also allow the user to potentially livestream via their own video. Jabbar was wearing Meta glasses when he attacked Bourbon Street. But he did not activate the glasses to livestream his actions that day.
a strategic counterterrorism expert says nbc news That terrorists can use secret glasses for reconnaissance.
“If you’re trying to plan an attack you’ve got to really get a feel for eye line and sight and all the things you want to pay attention to,” says Sam Hunter. “The footage of it is starting to include more and more of what it really looks and feels like when you’re in that environment.”
Ray-Ban Smart Glasses CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that it has been a success for Meta, with the product becoming “a bigger hit than we expected.” However, the glasses have faced criticism for how they can be used to invade people’s privacy. The red light indicates that the glasses are recording but can easily be left on or hidden.
Who was Shamsuddin Jabbar?
Jabbar was a 42-year-old US Army veteran who was raised Muslim but left the religion for several years before recently returning to the faith. In a series of videos posted online before the attack, Jabbar expressed his support for ISIS.
At 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day, Jabbar drove a pick-up truck through a crowd gathered on Bourbon Street in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter, where New Year’s celebrations were well underway. He got out of the vehicle and started firing at the police officers. He died after the shootout.
Fourteen people died as well as 35 others were injured, including two police officers who fought to bring down Jabbar.
Jabbar also placed two IEDs in coolers on Bourbon Street; The FBI released footage capturing them on New Year’s Day. But the bombs did not explode because Jabbar did not have access to the detonator, which was later recovered from his vehicle.
