Month: January 2025

The FBI said on Sunday that the suspect in the deadly New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans visited the city twice – in October and November, scouting the best location to carry out his attack while using a pair of Meta smart glasses to record video of a bicycle ride through the French Quarter.

The suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, stayed at a rental home in New Orleans at the end of October and again in November, just weeks prior to his attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people.  Jabbar traveled to Cairo from June 22 to July 3, 2023, and to Ontario, Canada, from July 10 to July 13 of that year, per FBI Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil.  Myrthil said on Sunday that he wore the smart glasses to record video as he rode a bicycle through the French Quarter during that trip: “”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. Meta glasses appear to look like regular glasses, but they allow a user to record videos and photos hand-free. They also allow the user to potentially livestream through their video.” A compilation of the clips was posted online by the FBI, which includes Jabbar testing the glasses in a mirror and surveillance clips of him in the are prior to the truck attack. Images of bystanders were blurred by the FBI.

According to the FBI, Jabbar wore the glasses during his New Year’s Day attack, but they were not activated for a livestream.  Meta spokesperson Andy Stone told NBC News that the company is “in touch with law enforcement on this matter.” Investigators also found that Jabbar placed two homemade bombs in the area prior to the attack, but neither device detonated. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that two firearms were also recovered in the investigation, a semiautomatic pistol and a rifle.  The .308-caliber rifle was purchased in a private sale in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 19.

At least 14 people were killed and dozens were injured in the attack, which occurred over a three-block stretch of Bourbon Street in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter. Jabbar, a Texas born-citizen who FBI officials said proclaimed his support for the terror group ISIS in social media posts ahead of the attack, was killed in gunfire exchanged with New Orleans police. Federal agents have not found evidence of any accomplices in the attack and reiterated Sunday that it appears Jabbar acted alone, and does not appear to have any U.S.-based accomplices. ISIS has not claimed responsibility for the attack and officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said there is no established link to foreign actors.

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President Joe Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to 19 people on Saturday. According to the White House, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.” The award was established by the late President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom spanned across politics, culture and the arts, and included former Senator Hillary Clinton – the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party — who “made history many times over decades in public service.” A statement from the White House read: “President Biden believes great leaders keep the faith, give everyone a fair shot, and put decency above all else. These nineteen individuals are great leaders who have made America a better place. They are great leaders because they are good people who have made extraordinary contributions to their country and the world.”

Other recipients included fashion designer Ralph Lauren, U2 frontman Bono, billionaire philanthropist George Soros, actors Michael J. Fox and Denzel Washington, and Inter Miami soccer star Lionel Messi. Additionally, Biden honored ethologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall, retired Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson, chef and World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, science educator Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” LGBTQ activist and entrepreneur Tim Gill, billionaire philanthropist David Rubenstein and American Film Institute founder George Stevens Jr.

Those receiving the award posthumously were former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer, former Defense Secretary Ash Carter and former Michigan Gov. George W. Romney.

Biden gave brief remarks before presenting the awards on Saturday afternoon, stating: “For the final time as president I have the honor of bestowing the Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor, to a group of extraordinary — truly extraordinary people who gave their sacred effort to shape the culture and the cause of America. Together, you leave an incredible mark – and I mean this sincerely, this group – you leave an incredible mark on our country.”

Editorial credit: Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com