The man behind the deadly New Year’s attack in New Orleans, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had planned the assault for weeks, using Meta smart glasses to record videos of the city in the lead-up to the attack, the FBI revealed in a press conference on Sunday.
Jabbar, 42, visited New Orleans twice in the months before the attack, first in October and again in November. During his visits, he used the smart glasses to film a bicycle tour of the French Quarter, seemingly planning his assault, the New York Post reports.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil explained that the glasses allow users to record videos and photos hands-free, with livestreaming options. However, they were not activated during the New Year’s Day attack. “They were not actively recording during the attack,” Myrthil confirmed.
On January 1, Jabbar drove a rented Ford F-150 Lightning truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring 35 others.
The FBI also discovered new security footage showing Jabbar placing two homemade bombs on the street before carrying out the attack. The glasses and a brown coat found inside the truck were seen in the video footage.
The FBI also confirmed Jabbar’s involvement with ISIS, revealing that he had posted videos online claiming to have “joined ISIS earlier this year.” While he acted alone in the attack, investigators are continuing to probe Jabbar’s associates both in the US and abroad.
In addition to the explosives, two firearms— a semiautomatic pistol and a rifle— were recovered, with the rifle purchased in a private sale in Arlington, Texas, on November 19. The FBI believes Jabbar also set fire to a short-term rental home in New Orleans, where bomb-making materials were discovered.
Although Jabbar’s attack was devastating and took many lives, neither of the homemade bombs he placed in the area detonated.
