New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday rejected Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's motion to extradite the New York doctor who allegedly prescribed and mailed an abortion pill to a Louisiana mother. 

"The governor of Louisiana sent an extradition request demanding New York turn over a physician who provided reproductive healthcare. New York is rejecting that request," Hochul said.

Murrill announced on Wednesday she had filed a motion to extradite Dr. Margaret Carpenter, who was indicted by a Louisiana grand jury last month for knowingly providing a pregnant woman in Louisiana with an abortion drug. 

"We will take any and all legal actions to enforce the criminal laws of this State," Murrill said. 

BONDI ANNOUNCES NEW LAWSUITS AGAINST STATES ALLEGEDLY FAILING TO COMPLY WITH IMMIGRATION ACTIONS: ‘A NEW DOJ’

"We have sent out a law enforcement notice that certain out-of-state warrants are not enforceable in the state of New York," Hochul replied Thursday. "So anyone who possibly pulls over an individual or is involved in a situation for a doctor who is protected under our laws is told, ‘You are not to cooperate and enforce this extradition.’ So I want to be clear that we have taken all the steps we can to protect this doctor."

Since the indictment, Hochul has said she would not comply with extradition and signed a law allowing doctors to request their names be omitted from abortion pill prescriptions.

"I will never, under any circumstances, turn this doctor over to the state of Louisiana under any extradition request," Hochul said.

NEW YORK GOV HOCHUL SIGNS LAW PROTECTING ABORTION PILL PRESCRIBERS AFTER DOCTOR INDICTED IN LOUISIANA

Murill said Hochul does not have the authority to resist extradition. 

"New York officials, including the governor, are not at liberty to ignore interstate compacts and laws regarding extradition. As to the new law, a doctor prescribing these drugs and delivering them in our state is committing a crime. Masking their identity on a prescription bottle will not protect them," Murrill said.

Murill warned Carpenter to be careful with her travel plans with a warrant out for her arrest. 

"There's an arrest warrant in the NCIC system. The doctor could be arrested in other places. If New York won't cooperate, there are other states that will," Murill said. 

After the indictment, Hochul doubled down on her commitment to protecting reproductive access in New York from "anti-abortion politicians."

"We always knew that overturning Roe v. Wade wasn’t the end of the road for anti-abortion politicians. That’s why I worked with the legislature to pass nation-leading laws to protect providers and patients. It’s more critical than ever for states to step up and protect reproductive freedom, and I’ll never back down from this fight," Hochul said.

The case represents the first known criminal indictment of a doctor charged with prescribing abortion medication across state lines.

Louisiana has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Abortion has been illegal in Louisiana since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The only exceptions are for non-viable pregnancies and the life of the mother.

New York has moved in the opposite direction since the Dobbs decision. The blue state enshrined abortion access into its constitution this year under Hochul's leadership.

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"Louisiana has changed their laws, but that has no bearing on the laws here in the state of New York. Doctors take an oath to protect their patients. I took an oath of office to protect all New Yorkers, and I will uphold not only our constitution but also the laws of our land. And I will not be signing an extradition order that came from the governor of Louisiana, not now, not ever," Hochul said Thursday.

The case could lead to a battle in federal court over whether states that support abortion rights can protect doctors who provide abortion services.

The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections has finalized and implemented a protocol allowing sentences for death row inmates to be carried out using the nitrogen hypoxia method, Gov. Jeff Landry announced Monday.

The new protocol will allow for death sentences to be carried out again after a 15-year pause and builds on a constitutionally approved method already in place in Alabama.

A summary of Alabama’s protocol allows for the condemned person to communicate with a spiritual adviser. It also allows for "designated victim relationship witnesses."

LOUISIANA GOV. LANDRY SIGNALS PUSH FOR STATE TO RESUME DEATH ROW EXECUTIONS

The Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola will carry out the executions and is responsible for checking all aspects of the system.

"Once escorted to the death chamber, medical monitors will be attached to the inmate to evaluate the relevant vital signs," the summary says. "The inmate will be offered the opportunity to make a final statement, and then, the specialized mask for administration of the nitrogen will be fitted onto the inmate."

The statement says the coroner will confirm the death, then the warden will issue a statement confirming the death.

Alabama executed a man using nitrogen gas last year, marking the first use of the method in the US since the introduction of lethal injection in 1982. The state has since executed three more people by that method.

The Protocol for Executions of Death Sentences includes the procedures for the nitrogen hypoxia method recently approved by the Louisiana Legislature with bipartisan support.

"For too long, Louisiana has failed to uphold the promises made to victims of our State’s most violent crimes; but that failure of leadership by previous administrations is over," Landry said. "The time for broken promises has ended; we will carry out these sentences and justice will be dispensed." 

"These capital punishment cases have been reviewed at every judicial level, have had decades of unsuccessful appeals, and the death sentences affirmed by the courts," Landry continued. "I expect our DA’s to finalize these cases and the courts to move swiftly to bring justice to the crime victims who have waited for too long." 

BIDEN COMMUTES SENTENCES OF 37 FEDERAL DEATH ROW INMATES IN FINAL MONTH OF PRESIDENCY

Approximately 60 inmates are on death row in Louisiana, but executions have stalled due to legal challenges and drug shortages.

Also on the list of state sanctioned execution methods is electrocution – sponsored by State Rep. Nicholas Muscarello. Louisiana last carried out a death by electrocution 34 years ago. That method was abandoned after legal challenges became an issue, forcing the state to retire it.

As of now, there is no set date or plan for when the state will carry out the first execution as death penalty cases often are tied up in litigation for years.

State Attorney General Liz Murrill has sided with Landry and praised the state's move toward resuming executions.

"Those sentenced to death have been convicted by a jury of their peers for the most heinous and barbaric crimes imaginable. These are the worst of the worst," she said in a statement. "Governor Landry and I are committed to moving this process forward to finally get justice for victims."

State Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, also released a statement supporting Landry. 

"Justice for the victims is long overdue. I fully support Landry in his efforts and his administration in following the law as overwhelmingly approved by the Legislature," she said.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., launched a unique attack against U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer over a plan to relinquish a military base in the Indian Ocean, cautioning the British leader to "put down the bong."

"The United Kingdom is our friend. I went to school there for a while. I love them and I want to see the prime minister do well, but he needs to put down the bong. He needs to put down the bong," Kennedy said during remarks on the floor of the Senate. "This makes absolutely no sense, and it’s going to be a big part of his legacy if he gives away this island and our military base to, in effect, what will eventually be China."

At issue is the fate of the Chagos Islands, a British overseas territory in the Indian Ocean that currently hosts a U.S.-U.K. joint naval base at Diego Garcia.

UN DEMANDS BRITAIN END RULE OF CHAGOS ISLANDS IN 6 MONTHS

But a ruling by the International Court of Justice in 2019 that was backed by the United Nations found that the U.K. had no claim to the islands, spurring an October announcement that the U.K. had cut a deal to hand over sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius.

While the deal calls for the base to remain under American and British control for another 99 years, the plan to hand over the territory has received pushback in both the U.K and the United States.

Kennedy let it be known that he was one of those critics, calling the plan to give up control of the islands "bone deep down to the marrow stupid."

UN COURT TO RULE ON BRITISH SOVEREIGNTY OVER CHAGOS ISLANDS

"Because the United Nations wants the United Kingdom to feel guilty, they want to give our military base and their military base to Mauritius," Kennedy said. "Now, the prime minister of the United Kingdom can stop this, and Marco Rubio, our new secretary of state, is against it. And I haven’t talked to him directly, but I think President Trump is against it."

But the Louisiana senator changed gears later in his remarks, arguing that he did not "mean any disrespect," while still urging Starmer to reconsider.

"I shouldn’t have said the bong part, I take it back," Kennedy said. "Please Mr. Prime Minister, don’t do this. Don’t do this. We’ll stand with you in telling the United Nations, who’s so upset with you, to go fill out a hurt feelings report because we’re not doing it. We’ll stand with you."

The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

The case opens a new front in the battle between states that ban abortion and states that support providing abortion anywhere in the country.

Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, who aims to unseat Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., during the Bayou State's 2026 U.S. Senate contest, assailed the incumbent as a "RINO Republican" during an interview with Fox News Digital, using the acronym that abbreviates the phrase "Republican in name only."

Fleming, who served as a U.S. House lawmaker from early 2009 through early 2017, was one of the founding members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. 

He ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2016 and held several posts during the first President Donald Trump administration. In 2023, with Trump's endorsement, he won election to serve as the Pelican State's treasurer.

When asked by Fox News Digital to name some lawmakers he largely aligns with ideologically, Fleming mentioned GOP Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris of Maryland, as well as Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah.

RFK JR. ‘WRONG’ ABOUT VACCINATIONS, GOP SENATOR SAYS

When asked whether there are any federal departments or entities that he would like to see fully abolished, Fleming replied that if there are any federal entities he thinks should be eliminated, he said, "First on my list would be the Department of Education."

Regarding the debt ceiling, he said if he were in office, he would seek to "leverage" debt ceiling increases to lower spending, adding, "I don't think we should raise the debt ceiling."

Fleming indicated that he supports foreign aid in some cases.

"I do believe in some level of foreign aid, particularly military foreign aid, when it's in the best interest of the people of the United States," he noted, suggesting that the U.S. should assist Taiwan and Israel. 

Fleming said that America must "be careful about" involving itself in affairs abroad. Pointing to Afghanistan and Iraq, he said, "We seem to win the wars but lose the peace."

Fleming indicated that he is supportive of the TikTok ban that passed last year, because he does not believe it is "wise for us to allow the Chinese or any other foreign power, or even our own government, to spy on us through our social media." He opined that the social media platform should be banned until it is no longer under the influence of the Communist Chinese Party government of China.

PRO-TRUMP IMPEACHMENT REPUBLICAN SEN BILL CASSIDY TARGETED FOR OUSTER BY FREEDOM CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER

In Louisiana's jungle primary system, candidates of various parties run against each other, and if any candidate wins the majority, they win election to the role — but if no candidate gets the majority, the top two finishers compete in a runoff.

When Cassidy ran in 2014, he placed second in a field that included seven other candidates, advancing along with incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu to a runoff, which Cassidy won.

When Cassidy was re-elected in 2020, he won the majority and avoided a runoff, defeating a field of more than a dozen other candidates.

Cassidy was one of the seven GOP senators who voted to convict President Trump after the 2021 House impeachment in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump had already departed from office by the time of the February Senate vote, and the number of senators who voted to convict ultimately fell short of the threshold necessary for conviction.

During a CNN appearance that the outlet shared on social media in 2023, Cassidy said he thought Trump should drop out of the presidential contest, though the lawmaker noted that the decision was up to Trump, who he said would lose to President Joe Biden based on the polls at the time.

HEGSETH BACKED BY LOUISIANA SEN. BILL CASSIDY TO LEAD THE PENTAGON UNDER TRUMP

After Trump had become the presumptive GOP presidential nominee last year, Kristin Welker asked Cassidy on "Meet the Press" whether he would endorse Trump. The senator responded by saying that he planned to vote for a Republican for president.

Cassidy in June pledged to work with Trump if the candidate returned to the White House. 

"Just met with my colleagues and President Trump. I was elected to work for Louisiana and the United States of America. I commit to working with President Trump if he is the next president—and it appears he is going to be—to make things better for all," the senator said in a statement at the time.

He congratulated Trump and Vice President JD Vance on their inaugurations earlier this week.

"Today, the American people start winning again. Republicans are going to secure the border, unleash American energy, and protect American manufacturing," he noted in the statement. "Congratulations to President Trump and Vice President Vance. Let’s get to work!"

The lawmaker, who has served in the U.S. Senate for just over a decade, previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Trump endorsed Cassidy when the senator sought re-election in 2020, thanking him for supporting the Make America Great Again agenda, and praising his "outstanding" work representing Louisianans and Americans at large.

"THANK YOU @BillCassidy for all of your support with our #MAGA Agenda. You are doing an outstanding job representing the people of Louisiana & the U.S.A. You have my Complete and Total Endorsement!" Trump declared in a post.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a Cassidy campaign spokesman said of Fleming, "He came in 5th place last time he ran for Senate in 2016 and currently has $500k in campaign debt."

According to a Cassidy campaign press release, the senator "raised another $1 million across his reelection, leadership, and joint fundraising committees in the fourth quarter of 2024, bringing his campaign cash-on-hand to over $6.5 million."

The Fleming campaign responded to the Cassidy spokesperson's comment in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"The senate campaign loan is 100% owed to Treasurer Fleming, personally," Fleming's campaign noted. "With regard to placement, Sen Cassidy ran against a weak Republican and a politically-wounded Democrat who had voted for Obamacare among other things. And, he had the backing of the entire Republican Party." 

"Treasurer Fleming ran in an open seat against 23 opponents of all parties, some of whom divided his political base geographically as well as ideologically," the statement continued. "Sen. John Kennedy ultimately won Fleming's senate race as he was also the Louisiana State Treasurer and had run for the Senate before as Fleming is currently. What truly matters at this time is that Senator Cassidy voted to convict President Trump in the second impeachment trial during Trump's first term. Had Trump been convicted, it would have foreclosed any possibility to reelect Trump leading to either a second Biden term or a Kamala Harris Presidency."

The FBI assistant special agent in charge who told the media and the public the New Orleans attack was "not a terrorist event" has been reassigned, Fox News has learned. 

Multiple sources tell Fox News that FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan has been temporarily reassigned following her initial press conference in which she stated: "This is not a terrorist event." 

It was terrorism. 

After the original presser, the FBI put out a statement using the word "terrorism." Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Biden also used the word "terrorism" in their statements.

FBI DECLINES TO SAY WHETHER IT WILL FIRE, DISCIPLINE AGENT WHO SAID ATTACK WAS ‘NOT A TERRORIST EVENT’

No other details were offered about Duncan’s new position, but she is still with the FBI.

The FBI declined to comment. 

Authorities say that Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42,had an ISIS flag in his truck when he drove it into a crowd full of New Year's revelers on Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring dozens of others. After plowing through the crowd, he jumped out of his truck and began shooting at local police officers, who returned fire and killed him.

Jabbar was pronounced dead at the scene. 

AMERICAN RADICALIZED BY ISIS EXPRESSED ‘EXCITEMENT’ ABOUT TRAVELING OVERSEAS TO SUPPORT TERRORIST GROUP: FBI

The FBI said Jabbar bought two coolers that he later used to conceal IEDs on Bourbon Street and that he drove from his native Houston to New Orleans on Dec. 31 to carryout his planned attack. 

In the hours after the chaos unfolded on Bourbon Street on New Year's Day, Duncan spoke at a press conference and declared the attack was not connected to terrorism.

BOURBON STREET TERRORIST RESEARCHED GERMANY CHRISTMAS MARKET ATTACK, MARDI GRAS BEFORE DEADLY RAMPAGE: FBI

"We'll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event," Duncan said during the presser. 

During that same press conference, however, the mayor of New Orleans told the media and public that the city did in fact suffer a terror attack. 

"Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It's all still under investigation," Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has served in the role since 2018, said at the presser. 

Duncan also said in subsequent press conferences that the attack is being investigated as an act of terror. 

New Orleans terrorist attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar was radicalized by ISIS online "within weeks," according to FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Jabbar killed 14 civilians when he rammed a rented Ford F-150 truck through a New Year's crowd celebrating on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 1. He then began shooting at police, who returned fire, killing the attacker.

"[H]e appears to have been inspired — from afar — by ISIS. And it is, in many ways, the most challenging type of terrorist threat we face," Wray told "60 Minutes" in a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday. "You're talking about guys like this, who radicalize not in years but in weeks, and whose method of attack is still very deadly but fairly crude. And if you think about that old saying about connecting the dots, there are not a lot of dots out there to connect. And there's very little time in which to connect them."

The FBI noted earlier this month that Jabbar, 42, traveled to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 to July 3, 2023, then returned to the U.S. In a separate trip on July 10, 2023, he traveled to Ontario, Canada, and returned to the U.S. a few days later.

BODY LANGUAGE EXPERT SAYS NEW ORLEANS ATTACKER EXHIBITED ‘RED FLAGS’ BEFORE ATTACK

The Texas native was a twice-divorced Army veteran who, despite a lucrative job at a large consulting firm, had a history of financial struggles and missed child support payments, records show.

Prior to the New Orleans attack, he visited the city twice — once in October and again in November. He used Meta smart glasses to take videos of his surroundings as he rode a bike through the French Quarter months before carrying out the deadly attack.

BOURBON STREET TERROR VICTIMS SUE NEW ORLEANS AS LOUISIANA AG INVESTIGATES SECURITY LAPSES

On Dec. 31, Jabbar rented the Ford truck in Houston and then drove it to New Orleans, where he checked in to an AirBnb. Authorities would later find bomb-making materials and remnants of a fire at the property, saying Jabbar likely attempted to cover up his crime by attempting to burn evidence at the rental home in the St. Roch neighborhood, about two miles from the French Quarter.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

"It's pretty clear so far that this is a guy who was radicalized online and who was determined to try to murder as many innocent people as he could in the name of ISIS," Wray said in his interview with "60 Minutes."

He added that these kinds of lone wolf threats are becoming more common in the United States.

"There was a guy, a Pakistani citizen, who, just a few months ago, we worked with our Canadian partners to arrest," Wray explained to host Scott Pelley. This guy was trying to get into the U.S., get into New York City, to conduct a mass shooting at a Jewish Center in Brooklyn. … In his words, he wanted to conduct the largest attack in the U.S. since 9/11."

The FBI continues to investigate the attack and said that while Jabbar apparently acted alone, authorities are still investigating whether he had any accomplices.

Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

GRAPHIC: New Orleans Police Department body camera footage released Friday morning shows officers responding to the scene of a New Year's terrorist attack on Bourbon Street that left 15 dead, including attacker Shamsud-Din Jabbar.

The NOPD footage obtained by Fox News Digital through a public records request shows officers confronting Jabbar, still in his white Ford-150 that he rammed through Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 1.

BOURBON STREET TERROR VICTIMS SUE NEW ORLEANS AS LOUISIANA AG INVESTIGATES SECURITY LAPSES

The footage shows several officers approaching Jabbar's truck, which was rented in Houston, at which point he begins firing at police from beneath a deployed airbag. Loud gunfire can be heard in the approximately 13 seconds of footage released by NOPD Friday.

"After the officers surrounded the pickup truck, the driver fired at them. Three officers – Sergeant Nigel Daggs and Officers Christian Beyer and Jacobie Jordan – returned fire. The driver was pronounced deceased on scene," NOPD said in a Friday press release. "Officer Jordan, along with Officer Joseph Rodrigue — who did not discharge his firearm — each sustained a gunshot wound to their thigh during this incident."

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

Rodrigue sustained a fractured shoulder, and both officers were transported to a hospital for treatment. They have since been released. All involved officers were placed on administrative reassignment following the tragedy.

Officers Jordan and Beyer have been with NOPD for less than two years. Daggs is a 21-year member of the department and Rodrigue is a nine-year member.

BOURBON STREET TERROR VICTIMS SUE NEW ORLEANS AS LOUISIANA AG INVESTIGATES SECURITY LAPSES

The video also shows several civilians running from the gunfire. NOPD has previously stated that two officers were injured in the shootout that ultimately killed Jabbar.

A total of 35 people were injured in the attack, on top of the 14 civilians who were killed.

The FBI continues to investigate the New Year's terrorist attack, which they say was motivated by ISIS extremism. 

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden attended a Monday memorial service for the victims of the Bourbon Street terrorist attack in New Orleans, paying their respects to the 14 victims who died.

The event, which was an interfaith prayer service, was hosted at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, in the French Quarter. The church is located less than a mile away from the scene of the attack, where terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a pickup truck into a crowd of celebrants on New Year's Day.

Biden made short remarks toward the end of the service, expressing sympathy for the victims and their families.

"The shock and pain is still so very raw," Biden, who leaves office in exactly two weeks, said. "My wife Jill and I are here to stand with you, grieve with you, pray with you, [and] let you know you are not alone — the rest of the nation is looking at you as well."

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

The president also noted that he recently met two officers who were injured during the attack, and commended the first responders who saved lives amid the chaos.

"New Orleans defines strength and resilience," Biden said. "You define it. Whether it's in the form of this attack, from this attack or hurricanes or superstorms, this city's people get back up. That's the spirit of America as well."

The service came less than a week after the terrorist attack stunned the Big Easy. Jabbar died at the scene, bringing the total number of deaths to 15 as of Jan. 6, and over 30 injuries.

Many of the decedents were in their 20s and visited New Orleans from across the U.S., including Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York and New Jersey. The youngest victim who died was 18 years old, and the oldest was 63. 

NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST, MAN IN LAS VEGAS CYBERTRUCK EXPLOSION SHARED MORE LINKS IN ATTACKS JUST HOURS APART

The incident is still under investigation, and federal and local officials are continuing to gather evidence about the terrorist attack. On Sunday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) said its National Response Team had completed its investigation of Jabbar's Airbnb in New Orleans.

Jabbar, who rented a house on Mandeville Street and left it hours before unleashing his attack, set a fire at the rental house to destroy evidence, but the fire eventually smoldered by the time authorities arrived. Accelerants that Jabbar strategically placed ended up not catching fire, allowing authorities to gather evidence.

Officials also found traces of the explosive RDX, or cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, at the rental. The agency noted that Jabbar unknowingly foiled his plans by using an electric match to ignite explosive material that is typically set off by a detonator. 

"Jabbar used explosive material better suited for a detonator, but he didn’t have access to one, so he used an electric match to set the explosives off," the ATF's statement explained. "Jabbar's lack of experience and crude nature of putting the device together is the reason why he used the wrong device to set the explosives off."

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is calling on Senate lawmakers, most notably Democrats, to confirm President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, in the wake of a terrorist attack that shook New Orleans. 

"This is no time to play around.  Which is why I am also calling on Senate Democrats on the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee to allow Kristi Noem to get to work on Day 1 as our Secretary of Homeland Security. There should be no gap in leadership. In the wake of the Bourbon Street and Las Vegas attacks, our nation’s security depends on her quick confirmation," Landry said in a statement Monday. 

Early on New Year's Day, chaos broke out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as revelers partied on the streets in celebration of the holiday. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of ramming a truck into the crowd on the beloved and famed party street, killing at least 14 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police. 

Landry's office said the Republican governor is expected to meet with President Biden on Monday, when he will press the commander in chief to issue a Presidential Disaster Declaration following the attack. 

NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST CHOSE BOURBON STREET FOR MAXIMUM CARNAGE: TIMELINE

"I look forward to speaking with President Biden today on quickly approving my request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration," he continued. 

Landry previously sent a letter to Biden detailing the need for the declaration as the city prepares to manage other massive public events this year, including the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, following the terrorist attack.  

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

"This terrorist attack has caused significant harm to our visitors and residents, disrupted essential services, and overwhelmed local and state resources during a time when the city is host to several large-scale events, including the Sugar Bowl and related activities, as well as the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras in coming weeks. The Super Bowl and Mardi Gras will bring in tourists from around the world and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated Super Bowl LIX as a Special Event Planning Assessment ("SEAR") Level 1," Landry wrote in his letter to Biden on Jan. 2. 

Trump announced South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his pick to lead the DHS, which oversees key national security and law enforcement agencies, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, last year after his win over Vice President Kamala Harris. 

BOMBMAKING MATERIALS FOUND AT NEW ORLEANS AIRBNB POTENTIALLY TIED TO BOURBON STREET TERRORIST: REPORT

Landry urging Senate lawmakers to support Noem as DHS chief in the wake of the terrorist attack follows law enforcement groups and leaders from across the nation also throwing their support behind the Trump candidate, urging lawmakers to quickly confirm her to the role. 

NOEM BOASTS OUTPOURING OF POLICE, BORDER UNION SUPPORT FOR DHS CHIEF: CURRENT LEADERS 'BETRAYED US'

At least eight police groups or unions have issued letters to Sen. Rand Paul, who sits on the committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, urging the Senate to confirm Noem in order to bolster national security, including to combat the immigration crisis along the southern border, as well as stem the flow of deadly narcotics coming across the border.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Ian Kersting, the assistant attorney general of a New Orleans Parish, was found dead by apparent suicide in his office, police said.

The 34-year-old was found with "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds" at his office, the New Orleans Police Department confirmed to WVUE-DT. His body was found by police around 9 p.m. on Saturday at the District Attorney's Office.

New Orleans EMS arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police confirmed to the outlet.

Fox News Digital reached out to the New Orleans Police Department for comment.

FEDS REVEAL CHILLING NEW TIMELINE OF HOW MANIAC TERRORIST SCOPED OUT NEW ORLEANS KILL ZONE

Kersting, 34, was admitted to the Louisiana bar in October 2020. 

NEW ORLEANS HOLDS VIGIL TO MOURN VICTIMS OF BOURBON STREET TERROR ATTACK: ‘AN OUTPOURING OF LOVE’

He was tasked in the District Attorney's Office as a specialist in sexual harassment cases and was assigned to the office's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI). The initiative worked in tandem with the New Orleans Police Department by investigating and prosecuting sex crimes while using recovered DNA evidence.

Following his death, the New Orleans District Attorney's Office released a statement mourning the loss of a "beloved member" of the office.

"The Orleans Parish DA’s Office family suffered a terrible tragedy Saturday night," the statement said. "Assistant District Attorney Ian Kersting was a beloved member of our office, and we send our love and deepest condolences to his family."

"It’s important that we support each other right now, and we ask the media respect the privacy of the individuals impacted," the statement said.

Kersting’s death happened just days after a terrorist attack rocked the city in the early hours of New Year’s Day, leaving 14 victims dead and dozens injured.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, an Army veteran from Houston, plowed a rented Ford pickup through a crowd of Bourbon Street revelers in the attack that officials say was inspired by the Islamic State.

The FBI recovered a black ISIS flag from the rented truck and found that Jabbar pledged allegiance to ISIS in online videos posted hours before the attack.

Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Communities must be able to move to solid ground while remaining whole.

The horrific New Years' Day terror attack in New Orleans left more than a dozen dead, and even more injured after the now-deceased suspect — identified by authorities as Shamsud-Din Jabbar — plowed a vehicle into people and opened fire.

While speaking to NBC News from a hospital bed, Jeremi Sensky, one of the survivors, recalled laying on the ground, seeing his wheelchair's parts beside him. 

He said he assumes he was struck by the truck.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

Sensky — who told the outlet that he has been paralyzed since 1999 — said his "wheelchair was completely bashed" with pieces scattered.  

"So something hit me," he said.

While he told ABC News that bones in both of his legs were broken, he also said he feels "lucky."

"I'm alive," he noted.

NEW ORLEANS TRUCK-RAMMING ATTACK: TERROR SUSPECT SEEN ON EERIE SURVEILLANCE HOUR BEFORE BOURBON STREET CARNAGE

Dr. Jeffrey Elder of the University Medical Center New Orleans told CNN that most of the patients at the facility had suffered "blunt trauma" while a few patients had suffered gunshot wounds.

During an appearance on NewsNation's "Banfield," survivor Paige Bryan recalled seeing people hit by the vehicle, describing the experience as "very, very, very traumatic." 

SIBLING OF NEW ORLEANS TERROR ATTACK SUSPECT UNRAVELS DESCENT INTO RADICALIZATION

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are slated to travel to New Orleans on Monday, where they "will grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack on January 1 and meet with officials on the ground," according to the White House.

Fox News' Caroline McKee contributed to this report.

The driver behind the deadly terrorist New Years' attack in New Orleans set fire to his rental property in an effort to destroy bomb-making evidence prior to the attack, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) said.

In a joint statement on Friday, the agencies revealed that they believe 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar set a small fire in the hallway of his rented Airbnb before the attack, and "strategically placed accelerants throughout the house in his effort to destroy it and other evidence of his crime." But they said the fire burned itself out before spreading to other rooms.

The smoldering of the fire allowed the FBI to recover evidence from the rented Airbnb, including "pre-cursors for bomb-making material and a privately made device suspected of being a silencer for a rifle," the agencies said.

LAS VEGAS, NEW ORLEANS ATTACKS NOT CONNECTED: POLICE

The FBI and the ATF also revealed new information on Jabbar's movements prior to driving a high-speed vehicle down the popular Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year's Day.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

Jabbar had also placed two improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, along Bourbon Street, authorities said. He did not manage to detonate the two explosives prior to his death.

"The FBI assesses that during his attack on Bourbon Street, Jabbar intended to use a transmitter, that was found in the F150 truck, to detonate the two IED’s he placed on Bourbon Street," the agencies said.

In the latest update, the agencies said that all evidence recovery along Bourbon Street and at the Airbnb rental on Mandeville Street used by Jabbar has been completed.

"Evidence collected from multiple sites is being evaluated to further the investigation," the agencies said.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar's New Year's massacre in New Orleans, carried out with a pickup truck flying an ISIS flag, could embolden the terrorist organization to radicalize more Americans, experts told Fox News Digital.

Jabbar's younger brother told the New York Times he and his Army veteran brother were raised Christian in Beaumont, Texas, before the now-deceased attacker converted to Islam as an adult.

"What he did does not represent Islam," the younger brother said. "This is more some type of radicalization, not religion."

NEW ORLEANS TRUCK ATTACK SUSPECT INSPIRED BY ISLAMIC STATE TERRORIST GROUP

He added that Jabbar did not know what he wanted to do in life and began his military career "to get some sort of discipline."

While he was traveling from his home in Texas to Louisiana Tuesday, Jabbar posted videos to his Facebook account pledging his allegiance to ISIS, law enforcement sources said.

Retired FBI agents Scott Duffey and Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital Wednesday's attack could embolden ISIS, other terrorist groups or individuals who have been radicalized.

NEW ORLEANS TERROR SUSPECT'S BROTHER SAYS ATTACK IS SIGN OF 'RADICALIZATION': REPORT

"This is a time where ISIS is under extreme stress, and their existence is being threatened in Syria and elsewhere. It would make sense for them to double down on their message to radicalize Americans to put them into action and activate any cells that they have in place," Swecker said.

Before his rampage in New Orleans, Jabbar posted several videos on Facebook declaring his support for ISIS, the FBI said at a news conference Thursday.

"In the first video, Jabbar explains he only planned to harm his family and friends but was concerned the news headlines would not focus on the 'war between the believers and the disbelievers,'" FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia said. 

ISIS and other terrorist organizations often use social media to recruit new members, experts said.

NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: INVESTIGATION CONTINUES, AS FBI SAYS NO OTHER SUSPECTS INVOLVED

"ISIS and other foreign adversaries use all sorts of social media platforms to spread anti-American ideologies, rhetoric and propaganda," Duffey said. "It's free speech and designed to slowly convert young people to start questioning their American and religious ideals.

"It starts off (with) soft messaging to attract people into their thought process," he added. "Links are often provided that lead people to additional messages … sowing division and distrust of government in young impressionable minds.

"I think there is often an underlying mental issue in the reader that attracts them to the message, which over time leads to … more encrypted messages of violence.

"It’s a win for them if someone does something like what he did yesterday."

Most people are radicalized by online materials, said John Ryan, who served as chief of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department.

"Him being an IT person, it would mean he probably knows how to access the dark web where a lot more material is available," Ryan said of Jabbar's background in information technology.

"In regards to whether it could trigger other people, sadly there are a lot of keyboard warriors who are being exposed to this and searching for something to connect to. Given the high level of mental health issues in the aftermath of COVID and the number of protests in support of Hamas and pro-Palestine and anti-Israel, the answer is yes. Mostly lone wolf type of people."

Although law enforcement officers were initially searching for accomplices in the attack, the FBI said Thursday it appears Jabbar acted alone. However, Swecker said, that does not discount the possibility of an active terror cell within the country. 

"If his radicalization was as a result of the propaganda and calls to action from ISIS on the internet, this is [still] international terrorism. We’re calling him homegrown, but it’s directed from a terrorist organization," Swecker said. 

"Even if he doesn’t carry a card, even if he isn’t on the phone with the ISIS director but he’s being called to action by propaganda on their websites, it’s still international terrorism," he said. "That’s very much a part of the playbook for al Qaeda and these international groups."

Jabbar was stationed at Fort Bragg, now called Fort Liberty, in North Carolina, as was active-duty U.S. Army soldier Matthew Livelsberger, who police said intentionally set and died in an explosion that injured seven outside Trump International Hotel Las Vegas New Year's Day.

Investigators have uncovered no evidence of a connection between the Bourbon Street terror attack in New Orleans and the Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas despite the suspects' shared military history.

"If they served at the same base, I think I’m still very open and there’s a distinct possibility that they linked up on the internet or with their prior military associations," Swecker said. "If [Livelsberger] was a convert, he would have been going to the same [religious] services as [Jabbar].

"What [Jabbar] did and what happened in Las Vegas does give credibility to the movement and creates that excitement in others who may be thinking about it [carrying] on their plan in a short time frame," Duffey said.

President-elect Donald Trump's allies are excoriating the FBI for its initial characterization of the brutal car attack in New Orleans as not terror-related, before the nation’s top federal law enforcement agency backtracked and launched a terrorism investigation allegedly connected to ISIS. 

"The FBI has a no-fail mission. There is no room for error. When they fail, Americans die. It's a necessity that Kash Patel gets confirmed ASAP," a source close to Trump told Fox News Digital on Thursday morning. 

Early Wednesday morning, chaos broke out on Bourbon Street in New Orleans as New Year’s Eve revelers partied on the streets. The suspect, later identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is accused of ramming a truck into the crowds on the beloved and famed party street, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens of others. Jabbar, who was armed with a Glock and a .308 rifle, was killed after opening fire on police. 

As details filtered to the public on Wednesday morning, law enforcement officials, including the FBI, held a press conference where a special agent initially told the public that the attack was not related to terrorism. 

NEW ORLEANS ATTACK: SEARCH CONTINUES FOR BOURBON STREET 'PEOPLE OF INTEREST' AS STATE AG VOWS DEATH PENALTY

"We'll be taking over the investigative lead for this event. This is not a terrorist event," said New Orleans field office FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan during the press conference. 

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

The mayor of New Orleans contradicted Duncan in the same press conference, declaring that the attack was connected to terrorism. 

"Know that the city of New Orleans was impacted by a terrorist attack. It's all still under investigation. You'll hear more after me," Mayor LaToya Cantrell, a Democrat who has served in the role since 2018, said at the presser. 

The FBI released statements later Wednesday outlining that the attack was now under investigation as an act of terror, including reporting that an ISIS flag was found on the truck that rammed into the crowds. 

"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," one FBI statement said. 

SUSPECT IDENTIFIED AS FBI INVESTIGATES ACT OF TERRORISM AFTER BOURBON STREET ATTACK

"The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify any possible associates of the subject," the statement added. 

Conservative lawmakers decried the attack and mourned for the victims, while also directing their ire at the FBI for its alleged failures in handling the attack. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a key Senate ally of Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, slammed the FBI in a series of messages posted to X and again rallied support for Patel’s confirmation to serve as FBI director. 

OFFICIALS POSTPONE SUGAR BOWL IN  THE WAKE OF APPARENT TERROR ATTACK ON BOURBON STREET

"The tragic terror attack that killed innocent people in New Orleans is a stark reminder of the importance of strong leadership. America needs a fearless fighter like @Kash_Patel at the FBI," Blackburn posted on Wednesday. 

Blackburn also took issue with the FBI for allegedly reporting to the suspect’s home in Texas after the media had already staked out the property. 

"The FBI didn’t show up to the NOLA suspect’s address until 1pm today. We were on scene before. No one came out of the home or answered the door," New York Post reporter Jennie Taer posted to X on Wednesday. 

Blackburn responded to the Post reporter, saying that the FBI had "failed" its mission as the nation’s top law enforcement agency. 

"The fact that a reporter has better intel than the FBI tells us all we need to know. The FBI has failed its core mission," Blackburn posted. 

WHO IS KASH PATEL? TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD THE FBI HAS LONG HISTORY VOWING TO BUST UP 'DEEP STATE'

When approached for comment on the criticisms, the FBI directed Fox Digital to its three previous statements on the attack that described it as an act of terror but did not comment on the New Orleans’ agent saying Wednesday that the attack was not connected to terrorism. 

"This morning, an individual drove a car into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing a number of people and injuring dozens of others. The subject then engaged with local law enforcement and is now deceased. The FBI is the lead investigative agency, and we are working with our partners to investigate this as an act of terrorism," the FBI said in one of its three statements provided to Fox Digital. 

Jabbar was identified as a 42-year-old U.S. citizen from Texas. He was an Army veteran who served as a human resource specialist and information technology specialist from March 2007 until Jan. 2015, and he deployed to Afghanistan from Feb. 2009 to Jan. 2010.

Trump slammed President Biden and his administration’s policies for the attack. 

TRUMP FBI PICK KASH PATEL SHOULD TAKE THESE CONCRETE STEPS TO RESTORE TRUST: FORMER SPECIAL AGENT

"With the Biden ‘Open Border’s Policy’ I said, many times during Rallies, and elsewhere, that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe. That time has come, only worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER," Trump posted to Truth Social. 

Biden mourned the attack on Wednesday, highlighting that despite the violence, "our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated."

"New Orleans is a place unlike any other place in the world," the president said. "It's a city full of charm and joy. So many people around the world love New Orleans because of its history, its culture, and above all, its people."

"So I know while this person committed a terrible assault on the city, the spirit of our New Orleans will never, never, never be defeated," he added.

HOUSTON — New photos taken by Fox News Digital provide a look inside Bourbon Street killer Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s home in Houston. 

Photos of the inside of Jabbar’s mobile home in a majority-Muslim neighborhood in north Houston revealed multiple copies of the Quran, a book on Christianity and a book about teaching children about Islam. 

Jabbar, 42, rammed a white truck into a crowd full of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans on Wednesday around 3:15 a.m. He then began shooting at law enforcement officers, who returned fire, killing Jabbar on the scene. The rampage, which is being investigated as a terrorist attack, left 15 dead, including Jabbar, and more than 30 people injured. 

SUGAR BOWL KICKS OFF AFTER NEW ORLEANS TERROR ATTACK

Jabbar, who served in the U.S. Army for 13 years, including one tour in Afghanistan, was flying an ISIS flag on his truck during the attack and was inspired by the Islamic state. 

The FBI and a Houston SWAT team raided Jabbar’s home early Thursday morning. The team left the front door off its hinges and cracked open, revealing much of the house’s living room, kitchen and a glimpse of a bedroom. 

BOMB-MAKING MATERIALS FOUND AT NEW ORLEANS AIRBNB POTENTIALLY TIED TO BOURBON STREET TERRORIST: REPORT

From outside the front porch, Jabbar’s living room could be seen left in a state of disarray by law enforcement officers who searched the home. A black suitcase lay strewn on the floor and a dart board and fake fireplace could be seen on the far side of the wall. 

Next-door neighbors described Jabbar to Fox News Digital as a quiet, respectful neighbor who was devoted to his Islamic religion. A bookshelf sitting near the front door seems to back his religious devotion, containing several copies of the Quran and books about Islam as well as one about Christianity. 

On the opposite side of the house, Jabbar had an elevated desk with a computer set up and a can of pepper spray, as well as several other items. A green, military-style backpack also lay near the kitchen. 

PRO-ISIS GROUP CALLED ON MUSLIMS TO CONDUCT NYE ATTACKS AHEAD OF NEW ORLEANS MASSACRE

Jabbar was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas, and was living in a rented mobile home in Houston. The house is in a neighborhood among several other mobile homes and RVs, just about a seven-minute walk from the Masjid Bilal Mosque and Darul Arqam Islamic school. 

Much of the neighborhood is in an extreme state of disrepair with dilapidated houses, parts of the road ripped up and trash and stray animals present throughout the street. Jabbar’s yard had several ducks and chickens wandering about and several goats were in another yard nearby. 

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT VICTIMS OF NEW ORLEANS TERRORIST ATTACK

A next-door neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told Fox News Digital he had seen Jabbar loading up a white pickup truck on Tuesday outside his Houston home, the morning before the attack in New Orleans, where he rammed the truck into New Year's revelers. The neighbor said he spoke with Jabbar, who told him he had gotten a job and was moving to Louisiana. The neighbor said he was under the impression Jabbar had gotten another job in information technology.

"He said he got the job that day in Louisiana," the neighbor said, describing how Jabbar was loading "very light stuff, handheld stuff, not heavy stuff" into the truck.

"The morning he was moving, I asked him if he needed help moving out, as a neighbor, 'Do you need any help for moving?' He said, 'I'm OK,'" the neighbor told Fox News Digital.

The neighbor expressed disbelief upon learning Jabbar was accused of the Bourbon Street bloodshed.

"Blow my mind, I was shocked, somebody seized the carpet under my feet, I was just like too shocked, unbelievable. 'This really happened?'" the neighbor said. "Like I said, we still don't believe, we still don't believe that that's the person, just there's no way, it can't be like that."

Al Qaeda first attacked the World Trade Center in 1993 with a car bomb in the underground garage. Americans heard about the attack on the evening news and then went out to McDonald's for a burger and fries. 

It was like the 911 operator called us and we put them on hold. Less than ten years later, the 9/11 attacks left 3,000 Americans dead.

We can’t make the same mistake. Even with the limited evidence we have so far, we know we have experienced a deadly, major synchronized Islamist terror attack on U.S. soil designed to send a message and inflict as many bloody casualties as possible. There is no reason why they can't try that or worse again. 

For a lot of reasons, there is cause to believe we have set ourselves up for the next Islamist campaign against America. Here are four.

NEW ORLEANS TERROR SUSPECT'S BROTHER SAYS ATTACK IS SIGN OF 'RADICALIZATION': REPORT

First, ISIS and others are back. Biden's humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan reignited the hope that America really was the paper tiger that Usama Bin Laden claimed we were. He followed that with feckless policies in the Middle East and North Africa that gave both opportunities to rebuild and recruit and fed a global narrative that it was time to rise up and strike again. 

Next, open borders are a death sentence. It doesn't matter if the Vegas or New Orleans threats crossed over from Mexico or not. Biden has created an unprecedented vulnerability with porous borders and unlimited illegal migration that leaves us more vulnerable today than we were on 9/11. An unprecedented number of individuals on the terrorist watch list have entered the U.S. under the Biden presidency. This administration’s policies have handed the terrorists too many options.  

U.S. THREAT LANDSCAPE, DOMESTIC EXTREMISM POSE A DAUNTING—BUT FAMILIAR— TEST FOR TRUMP'S SECOND TERM

Third, we have demobilized our counterterrorism efforts. Pretty much every instrument we established since 9/11 has been diverted, distracted, disabled or dismissed under Biden. We all know Biden’s top priorities for intelligence and law enforcement. They include persecuting his political enemies; protecting his family; investigating misdemeanors committed on January 6; surveilling school board meetings; meeting diversity, equity and climate goals; suppressing free speech; and demonizing conservatives at every opportunity. 

We didn't just take our eyes off the ball. We walked off the court. 

Finally, Russia, China, and Iran are not our friends. Every round of global terrorism has had some measure of state sponsorship or support. Today, we can expect no different. 

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Beijing, Tehran, and Moscow know that Trump is going to take his heavy hand off the Bible in a few weeks and lay a meaty fist on them. They will be scrambling for underhanded ways to push back. Terrorism will be one of them. In fact, they are already doing this. Russia contracted for terrorist attacks in Germany. China dumped Israel on October 7. Iran has put out hit contracts on Americans. 

Because of this administration’s weakness, today’s terrorists don’t try to think "outside the box." They already have more deadly toys than could fit in Santa’s sleigh. The attack in New Orleans demonstrated the use of common and proven terrorist tactics that we have seen plenty of in recent years from Europe to the Middle East to North Africa. The handbook of terrorist tools is tried and proven. We can expect more of the same. 

Today’s terrorists, however, can and are already starting to draw on proven modern battlefield tactics, often using dual-use technology with civilian and military applications that are being innovated in places like Ukraine, the Middle East and North Africa. We have already seen, for example, attempted attacks on energy infrastructure and the use of drones. Just like the way car bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) made their way from combat situations to terror attacks, other means to create murder and mayhem could soon be coming to a community near you.

How do we stop them? By using our counterterrorism capabilities the way they were intended—not the knee-jerk response of the Bush years or the measured indifference under Obama, but the sensible, practical, and responsible actions taken during Trump’s first term that took us from lights blinking red to giving ISIS lights out.

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President Biden sent a message to Americans before the Sugar Bowl between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish kicked off Thursday evening.

Biden’s message was broadcast on ESPN before the College Football Playoff quarterfinal. 

He offered his prayers for the victims in the New Orleans terror attack that left several people dead and dozens more injured.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"Today all of America stands with the people of New Orleans," Biden said. "We pray for those killed and injured in yesterday’s attack, and we’re grateful to the brave first responders who raced to save lives."

Biden said he was happy the game was back on after it was moved from Wednesday night to Thursday evening as officials swept the city for explosives after the attack.

"I’m glad the game is back on for today, but I’m not surprised because the spirit of New Orleans can never be kept down. That’s also true of the spirit of America. We just have to remember who we are. We’re the United States of America," he said.

LIVVY DUNNE, PAUL SKENES CELEBRATE NEW YEAR'S IN NEW ORLEANS HOURS BEFORE DEADLY TERROR ATTACK

"There’s nothing beyond our capacity when we're doing it together. God bless New Orleans, and God protect our troops."

Fans flocked to the Superdome earlier in the day in preparation for the game. Authorities opened Bourbon Street hours before the game.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he was going to attend the game.

"Security is going to be tight," he said in an appearance on "Fox & Friends." "We have all confidence that we’re gonna put this game on. The Superdome is completely secure. Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state."

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