Meta’s smart glasses were used to plan the attack on New Orleans

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The gunman who drove into a crowd of people on New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, killing 14 people, used Meta smart glasses to scout and record the area before the attack, the FBI said.

FBI says forward, Shamsud-Dean Jabbar, went to New Orleans in October and November. The agency published 3.5 minutes of footage YouTube without sound A few are from the perspective of the intruder, filmed wearing Meta smart glasses as he rides his bike down Bourbon Street. In another clip, he uses Meta glasses to film himself looking into a mirror in the background of a kitchen.

Before the Bourbon Street attack, Jabbar visited several gun shops. The attacker also set fire to the rental house he was staying in and planted explosive devices around the Bourbon Street crime scene.

“The FBI believes that during the Bourbon Street attack, Jabbar intended to use a transmitter that was found in an F150 truck to detonate two IEDs that he planted on Bourbon Street,” the FBI and the FBI said in a joint statement. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

In the end, Jabbar used a Ford F-150 pickup truck that was available rent through Turoas a weapon He was killed at the scene by New Orleans police officers after he opened fire on them and a crowd on Bourbon Street.

According to the FBI, Jabbar was also wearing the Meta Smart glasses during the attack, but was not live-streaming or recording with them at the time.

The Meta smart glasses are part of a partnership with Ray-Ban. The current model was released in 2023. The glasses cost $300, have thick black frames, and can be used to take photos, record videos, and talk using Meta’s artificial intelligence tool.

The FBI’s Victim Response Team has openly Family Assistance Center to support those who may have witnessed or were close to those injured or killed in the attack. The bureau is also encouraging anyone who may have seen or interacted with Jabbar contact them.

Meta declined to comment to the AP. PCMag has reached out to Meta for comment.