Super Bowl organizers and law enforcement have bolstered security arrangements ahead of the Feb. 9 showdown in New Orleans after the New Year’s Day terror attack.
Hundreds of thousands of fans are set to travel to Louisiana next month for the biggest night in the sporting calendar in the United States.
‘We’ve increased our security posture significantly so that people can come here, they can see a strong law enforcement presence,” said Eric DeLaune, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, told ESPN.
‘My goal was that you couldn’t walk a city block in downtown New Orleans without at least encountering one law enforcement official. I’m not trying to make people afraid. I want people to see that we’re prepared.’
The report adds that SWAT team members, armored vehicles and special agents on rooftops will all be part of the security effort in NOLA.
NFL’s Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier added: ‘I’d like to say it doesn’t change a lot in our security planning, but it does change things. Are we doing anything differently? Of course.’
The New Year’s attack occurred when a man who had been radicalized by ISIS drove a truck down the popular French quarter of New Orleans.
It led to the postponement of the Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia by almost 24 hours at the Superdome in the city, which will also stage the Super Bowl.
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