Louisiana authorities have promised much tighter security will be implemented in New Orleans for the upcoming Mardi Gras celebrations, following the deadly New Year’s Day terror attack that left 14 innocent people dead.
State Attorney General Liz Murrill said measures would be in place throughout the period leading up to the festival’s conclusion on March 4, and that some would likely become “permanent.”
“I think that we have to wrap our arms around the fact that this city can be a target for terrorism and that that isn’t going to change,” Murrill told reporters on Tuesday. “I think that you’re going to see a lot more resources moved into place during Mardi Gras.
“You’re going to see barriers in place that we probably didn’t have, because there’s a recognition that not only have we just been through this terrible event but there’s always a sense of concern that there’s going to be some follow-up event.
“We definitely don’t want anybody to come and think that because we were vulnerable once we are vulnerable again – we’re not.”
It comes as investigations continue into the attack in New Orleans’ French Quarter in the early hours of January 1, when 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck down Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens.
Jabbar, who was inspired by the terrorist group ISIS was later killed in a shootout with police.
Earlier in the press conference, Murill said members of the public had “never been safer in the city of New Orleans” due to the variety of police and federal resources in place “every 10 feet.”
However, she added that part of the investigations into future security needs would include considering what measures would remain as “permanent fixtures… and whether attitudes need to change, whether cooperation needs to change… whether individuals need to change.”
“All of that is on the table,” she said.
In addition, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell put out a call over the weekend for a "tactical expert" to review the city’s security capabilities prior to the Super Bowl LIX, which will be held at the city’s Caesars Superdome.
Despite ongoing concern, on Monday evening the first parade of the 2025 New Orleans Carnival season – the Joan of Arc parade – took place, just blocks from the tragic incident five days previously.
Earlier in the day President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Louisiana.
