the College Football Playoff The quarterfinal matchup between No. 2 Georgia and No. 5 Notre Dame takes place in New Orleans more than a day after the deadly terrorist attack on Bourbon Street that claimed at least 15 lives and injured dozens.
Teams arrived at the Caesars Superdome, just a mile from the French Quarter crime scene, for the Sugar Bowl on Thursday with tight security after the FBI said the driver of a Ford pickup truck plowed into a crowd of people in the early morning hours of On New Year's Day, it is being investigated as a terrorist act.
FBI personnel arrive at Caesars Superdome before the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dale)
The security authorities intensified security measures in preparation for Thursday Sugar bowl After the organizers took the decision to postpone the football match until Thursday in the interest of public safety.
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Fans attending the game can expect to see as much security “if not more” than what was expected to be in place at next month's Super Bowl, New Orleans Police Superintendent Ann Kirkpatrick said in an interview with TODAY on Thursday.
“We are partnered with several other partners,” Kirkpatrick said. Via ESPN. “There will be local, federal, military, etc. police here, and so we will have hundreds of officers and staff lining our streets, lining Bourbon Street, lining the French Quarter. So, we are working to increase staffing at the same level, if not “More than we were preparing for the Super Bowl.”
The Superdome, home new orleans saints, The championship game will be hosted on February 9. The city has been working for years on an infrastructure package that would increase safety in anticipation of the thousands of fans who will flock to the city next month.
Security dogs and bomb-sniffing dogs scan vehicles as they enter the Superdome parking garage before the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dale)
SUPERDOME welcomes SUGAR BOWL fans after the terrorist attack in New Orleans
Local law enforcement, FBI personnel and trained dogs were deployed to the stadium out of an abundance of caution.
Officials confirmed in a press conference on Thursday that the suspect, 42-year-old Shams al-Din Jabbar, was acting alone in the attack.
The FBI found a possible explosive device, weapons, and an ISIS flag in Jabbar's car after he was pronounced dead at the scene. Other potential explosive devices were found and recovered by officials.
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The Sugar Bowl was initially scheduled for 8:45 PM ET, but was postponed to an earlier start time on Thursday at 4 PM ET.
Notre Dame players run on the field before a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Georgia, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
“Public safety is of the utmost importance,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said at a news conference Wednesday. “All parties agree that it is in everyone’s interest and public safety for us to postpone the game.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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