Sugar Bowl between Georgia, Notre Dame postponed to Thursday after New Orleans attack

NEW ORLEANS – The Sugar Bowl has been postponed from Wednesday night to Thursday night, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told ABC News.

The College Football Game game between Georgia and Notre Dame was set to kickoff tonight in at the Ceasar’s Superdome in New Orleans where police remain focused on securing the French Quarter after the vehicle ramming attack.

Earlier on Wednesday, authorities locked down the Superdome as law enforcement sweeped the downtown area for explosive devices.

A student at the University of Georgia was critically injured in the attack and is receiving medical treatment, according to UGA president Jere Morehead.

Authorities have identified Shamsud Din Jabbar as the suspected driver of a pickup truck sped through a crowd of pedestrians gathered on New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter district early on New Year’s Day, killing 15 people and injuring more than 20 other revelers.

Jabbar, 42, is a U.S. citizen from Texas, according to the FBI. He drove a F150 that he rented in Texas on a carsharing app, according to authorities.

“An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle and the FBI is working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” the FBI said in a statement. Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter. The FBI’s Special Agent Bomb Technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any ofthese devices are viable and they will work to render those devices safe.The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism.”

Two police officers were also injured in a shootout with the suspect, who authorities said died after that firefight.

The attack occurred on Bourbon Street, known worldwide as one of the largest destinations for New Year’s Eve parties, and with crowds in the city in anticipation of the Sugar Bowl college football playoff game later Wednesday at the nearby Superdome.

The truck used in the attack had Texas plates and branding from a Houston-area dealership. ABC News reported that the Ford F150 truck used in the attack was rented through the Turo app – a carsharing company.

Truck owner Rodrigo Diaz told ABC’s Chris Looft that he rented this truck to an individual through Turo and that he is currently talking to the FBI, declining to comment further.

His wife, Dora Diaz, told ABC News they are devastated – saying through tears “My husband rents cars through the Turo app. I can’t tell you anything else. I’m here with my kids, and this is devastating.”

Here’s what we know about the attack:

What happened?

Police said the driver sped through a crowd along Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. Wednesday as revelers had gathered to celebrate the New Year. Ten people were killed and 33 were injured and taken to five local hospitals. Two police officers wounded in the shootout with the suspect were in stable condition.

Who is the driver and what was his motive?

The FBI said the driver was 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas.

A flag representing the Islamic State group was found in the truck and the FBI is trying to determine if he was associated with any terrorist organizations, the agency said in a statement.

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism.

Police Commissioner Anne Kirkpatrick said the driver was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did” and he tried “to run over as many people as he could.”

What have authorities found in their investigation?

Weapons and a possible explosive device were found in the pickup truck and other possible explosive devices were found elsewhere in the French Quarter, the FBI said.

Who was in the crowd?

Authorities said Bourbon Street was filled with revelers toasting the start of 2025 and attending New Year’s Eve parties when the attack occurred. Crowds in New Orleans have been ballooning in anticipation of Wednesday night’s Sugar Bowl college football playoff game between No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame. Officials said that game would go on as scheduled.

What protections are there for pedestrians on Bourbon Street?

City documents show New Orleans has been in the midst of a major project to remove and replace post-like barriers called bollards designed to prevent vehicle attacks along Bourbon Street. That project began in November and involves replacing old bollards with new removable stainless steel bollards.

Have there been similar deadly attacks involving vehicles?

Wednesday’s attack in New Orleans is the latest example of a vehicle being used as a weapon around the world to carry out mass violence. The trend has alarmed law enforcement officials because such attacks can be difficult to protect against. Last month, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor plowed into a Christmas market teeming with holiday shoppers in the German city of Magdeburg, killing four women and a 9-year-old boy.