The Allstate Sugar Bowl will not be played Wednesday following a deadly pickup truck attack in New Orleans, with officials telling ABC News that at least 15 people were killed and dozens injured.
Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said in a news conference that the College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Georgia and Notre Dame would be delayed by 24 hours and that more information would be released as possible.
“For now, that’s the plan,” Hundley said.
The decision to postpone the game came after the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans underwent a security sweep as two improvised explosive devices were found at the scene of the attack in the French Quarter district. Jason Williams, the district attorney of Orleans Parish, which includes New Orleans, told ABC News that investigators were conducting a grid search to determine whether other explosive devices were planted.
Some credentialed Superdome employees were permitted into offices by Wednesday afternoon.
The attack occurred around 3:15 a.m. CT Wednesday in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter district, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties. The driver of the vehicle was killed in a firefight with police following the attack, the FBI said, adding that it was heading an investigation “with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”
After the vehicle came to a stop, the driver — identified as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas — emerged from the truck and opened fire on responding officers, New Orleans police said. Officers returned fire, striking and killing Jabbar, police said.
“He was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did,” New Orleans Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said. “It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could.”
At least one Georgia student suffered critical injuries in the attack and was receiving medical treatment, the school said. A Georgia athletic department spokesperson said all team personnel and travel party members had been accounted for.
The FBI said it was investigating Jabbar to determine “potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.” An Islamic State group flag was recovered in the vehicle driven by Jabbar. Investigators do not believe Jabbar was “solely responsible” for the attack, the FBI said.
The Georgia and Notre Dame football teams arrived in New Orleans on Sunday and have been staying at downtown hotels just blocks from where the violence occurred.
Atlanta Police released a statement saying they would deploy specialized units and additional personnel to the area around Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday. Atlanta hosted another College Football Playoff quarterfinal in the Peach Bowl, with Texas facing Arizona State in a game that kicked off as scheduled.
The White House said President Joe Biden had been briefed on the attack, and the Justice Department said Attorney General Merrick Garland was also briefed.
Biden, speaking to reporters in Delaware, said he felt “anger and frustration” over the attack but would refrain from further comment until more is known.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families who were simply trying to celebrate the holiday,” Biden said in a statement. “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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