NEW ORLEANS — As a suspected terrorist attack killed at least 14 New Year’s revelers on Bourbon Street and injured dozens of others, officials in this city rebuilt on tourism tried to assure the world it was safe to attend the Sugar Bowl.
The annual college football game — postponed from the previous evening — was expected to draw about 74,000 fans to the Caesars Superdome on Thursday afternoon, and the stadium did indeed look full. There was no sign that leaders had clashed 36 hours earlier over the right time to resume athletics festivities.
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“Your governor will be there,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) had announced, adding his name to a list of high-profile figures pledging to do the same.
Still, the state’s top law enforcement director initially said that if she had called, the Big Easy would have waited another day. The sold-out game was played less than a mile from where all those lives were lost.
“This is an active crime scene,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told NBC News, “and they just finished removing some of the bodies, and they still haven’t removed them all.”
New Orleans, the mecca of Mardi Gras, is known for its welcoming appeal – and resilience. Nearly two days after the rampage, that reputation shone through, with crowds streaming back into the storied French Quarter and trombone notes floating through the cobblestone streets. Both locals and guests struggled with grief. Many said the increased security on display made them feel safer. Fresh off the devastation of New Year’s Day, the success of the Sugar Bowl sent a message: the party must go on, especially with the beloved parades and festivals scheduled in the coming weeks.
On Thursday, Murrill changed her tune and said that on reflection, she agreed with the governor’s position. “I am confident the city is safe,” she said. “It reflects our commitment not to bow to terrorism.”
The FBI now says there is “no evidence” that the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, plotted his rampage with any accomplices. Police killed the 42-year-old Texas army veteran in a flurry of gunfire after plowing a pickup truck through crowds for just three hours in 2025, turning holiday cheer into a bloodbath.
Investigators later found an Islamic State flag in his rental car, and FBI agents found two homemade bombs in coolers near the crime scene on Bourbon Street. Jabbar was “inspired by” the Islamic State terror network, President Joe Biden said in a speech from Camp David on Wednesday.
At the time of the attack, the security barriers that normally shield Bourbon Street were being renovated as part of preparations for February’s Super Bowl — another tourist draw meant to feed New Orleans’ visitor-heavy economy. Police cruisers stationed Wednesday to amplify that vulnerability ultimately failed: Jabbar swerved around them onto the sidewalk.
The city stepped up security ahead of Thursday’s big game, with officers closing off entry points to the stadium, beefing up security and putting hundreds of extra boots on the ground, including members of the National Guard. Bourbon Street has reopened with new steel sidewalk barriers.
For some, continuing was symbolic. The Superdome provided shelter for displaced residents during the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
“This city is in pain,” New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said. “But this city is also experiencing recovery.”
As the investigation continues, law enforcement officials say, the FBI is reviewing hundreds of hours of video recordings and sifting through more than 400 tips from the public.
“It is possible to both grieve and move forward,” noted Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security who is now chair of the homeland security program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Extended delays and city closures — which followed the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and a 2023 mass killing in Lewiston, Maine — could give the impression that the danger will persist long after the threat has been tamed, according to Kayyem.
The psychological wound lingers.
“I really think we can’t let fear win and do it safely,” said Stephen Murphy, director of the emergency management program at Tulane University in New Orleans, who is monitoring the city’s response. Instead of patrol cars blocking the roads, he expected fire trucks or loaded dump trucks to serve as a deterrent — “an eyesore… but a greater safety measure.”
Public participation will be crucial from now on, he added. The “See something, say something” message should be back in full force: “Your gut can tell you when to say something,” he said.
On Thursday morning, fans downtown who wanted to watch the University of Georgia take on Notre Dame walked through the French Quarter with coffee cups and beignets as police blocked access to Bourbon Street. The mood was somber, even as street vendors sold T-shirts celebrating the college football spectacle. Normalcy returned in the form of store owners washing dirty sidewalks, humming as they hosed down.
Some guests projected optimism.
“I honestly think this is the safest place in the country right now,” said Burt Wilson, 47, a Memphis resident who had become a supporter of the Fighting Irish.
The night before, he had walked about fifteen blocks from his hotel to a casino, with 490 police vehicles lining Canal Street. “It was just solid blue lights all the way down,” he said.
The pregame atmosphere, usually charged with excitement, was laced with mixed feelings: hypervigilance. Sadness. Duty.
“It’s scary,” said Jennifer Rainwater, a Georgia fan who put her faith in a city known for its tragedies and its recovery. “You can’t live in fear because then they win.”
Crowds gathered again in the French Quarter on Thursday afternoon. The imbibing had resumed. Partygoers streamed past the crime scene, where a camouflage green National Guard truck was parked. Few stopped to stare.
“I want to reassure the public that the city of New Orleans is not only ready for game day today,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell, “but we are ready to host major events because we are built to host.”
Charles Stone, 35, was smoking behind his folding table on Canal Street. He earns a living in the nightlife by playing chess with tourists who fill his tip jar.
Bourbon Street should be closed to traffic, he had long thought. According to him, motorists drive recklessly through what should be a pedestrian area.
When the narrow street opens again, he’s not sure whether he’ll set up his board game there again.
“If I decide to do that, it’s to make people feel safe,” Stone said.
Hours before kickoff, security measures around the Superdome seemed standard for a major event. Metal detectors pinged. Signs warned attendees that their bags must be transparent. But hidden in alleys along downtown skyscrapers, police officers wearing tactical gear and sitting in armored vehicles were visible.
Kevin Mast, 36, and Rodney Herron, 48, traveled from northern Indiana to cheer on Notre Dame. The in-your-face security reassured them. No one would stop them from wearing matching green and white overalls with festive gold chains.
“Besides, we spent too much money to get home,” Mast joked.
They had partied on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Eve but had retreated to their hotel rooms before the attack. They both remember seeing police everywhere. They don’t blame the officers for what happened next.
“If someone puts their mind to it, they will do it,” Herron said. “It’s the world we live in.”
At Walk On’s Bistreauk, a sports bar near the stadium, patrons huddled together and shouted lyrics as the DJ played Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.”
A few visiting brothers from Northern Indiana agreed that New Orleans seemed to respond defiantly to the tragedy.
“You can still feel it, but the atmosphere has definitely increased since yesterday,” said Chase Kendall, 28.
“It’s very cheerful and everyone is nice and making sure everyone is taken care of,” Aiden Kendall, 25, said.
But on the other side of that glee, New Orleans native Renata Tallo said she can still see that New Orleans is still a long way from business as usual.
“There are still a lot of people inside, and a lot of people are scared,” said Tallo, who previously worked as a shot girl at a bar on Bourbon Street.
Sports fans, she thought, filled the bars.
“But you won’t see many locals,” she predicted. “We’re all on edge.”
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