Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) said security measures would be in place through Mardi Gras celebrations in March after a deadly New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans.
“I think that you’re going to see a lot more resources moved into place during Mardi Gras,” Murrill said during a Tuesday press conference. “You’re going to see barriers in place that we probably didn’t have.”
The increased police presence comes after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, plowed a rented vehicle into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street while touting an ISIS flag on his truck early on New Year’s Day. He killed 14 people and injured dozens of others.
The event earned condemnation from the state’s lawmakers as the city prepares for two large events this winter: the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 and Mardi Gras on March 4.
On Tuesday, Murrill shared that her office is investigating the security plan in place during the January 1 attack on Bourbon Street and expects a report to be available for the state legislature ahead of its April session.
She advised Louisianians to expect more “permanent” security ahead of the upcoming events, which are expected to draw thousands to New Orleans.
“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,” Murrilll said earlier in the press conference. “And so I don’t see us backing off from those measures. I think that you will see some that are instituted as a more permanent fixture in this city.”
