Super Bowl LIX: Inside elite SWAT team's final sprint to secure New Orleans

Yahoo

07-02-2025

FIRST ON FOX – NEW ORLEANS – In the aftermath of the Jan. 1 terrorist attack on Bourbon Street and between major tourist-heavy events in New Orleans, officials with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are preparing to combat any potential threats during Super Bowl LIX.
HSI was the lead agency initially assigned to coordinate security for the Super Bowl, and preparations began about a year ago, Eric DeLaune, special agent in charge for HSI in New Orleans, told Fox News Digital.
"New Orleans has some unique challenges. The area here is a little more spread out for a Super Bowl," DeLaune, lead federal coordinator for Super Bowl LIX, said. "The elephant in the room is the attack that occurred on Jan. 1. We would be foolish if we didn't use what we've learned from that to inform how we go forward and how we adapt plans … to make sure we can account for gaps and alternative locations that may be of concern now in that post-attack timeline."
Just over a month before the Super Bowl, in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar plowed a pickup truck through crowds of people celebrating the holiday on Bourbon Street, killing 14 civilians and injuring 57 others. New Orleans police officers fatally shot Jabbar when he exchanged gunfire with officers.
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DeLaune has doubled his request for "tactical resources and assets" from the Department of Homeland Security since the attack.
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"We're going to have a significantly larger presence here in New Orleans in the way of tactical teams and also just special agents working in the area. People who are going to the game or going to the special events associated with the Super Bowl will see a much larger presence of HSI special agents and of HSI tactical assets, as well, walking around downtown, the French Quarter," he said.
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President Donald Trump is expected to be in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. DeLaune said the president's visit doesn't fundamentally change the agency's security plans, but Secret Service will be working with state and local counterparts. Trump's anticipated attendance will actually enhance security in the city because of the inclusion of more federal law enforcement personnel, he explained.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem visited New Orleans Monday and told reporters there have been "no credible threats" targeting Super Bowl LIX.
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A Justice Department official also confirmed to Fox News Thursday that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi would travel to New Orleans on her first day in office to survey security for the upcoming game with Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.
A team of HSI agents based in nine states across the Southeast, which regularly responds to high-risk criminal activity, trains for specific threat scenarios about 16 hours every month.
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In mid-January, the federal agency's Special Response Team (SRT) trained at the St. John's Parish SWAT center near New Orleans about a month ahead of Super Bowl LIX and two weeks after the ISIS-inspired terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.
While the SRT officers train every month, they added specific threat scenarios in January that they might encounter as the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras draw hundreds of thousands of tourists to the Big Easy.
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The SRT walked Fox News Digital through its training operations, during which officers conduct mock operations for scenarios, such as serving a search warrant, rescuing a hostage and responding to a suspicious vehicle or suspicious person in a crowd.
The team is typically deployed to respond to high-risk targets, including suspects who have an extensive criminal history, are hiding in a fortified building, are experiencing mental instability or are gang members.
In the hostage rescue scenario that Fox News Digital participated in by acting as a "victim," officers responded to a hypothetical call for help, entered the training center, deployed a flashbang, shot a "suspect" dummy with simulation rounds and rescued the "victim."
The center is set up to resemble a home or building officers might enter during a response.
"They are law enforcement. They're not police, but they [are all] law enforcement," DeLaune said. "We're trained to deal with an active weapon threat. We're trained to deal with mass casualty events. And we're trained to deal with medical emergencies to an extent. So, those agents are prepared to go out there and work with our state and local partners and support them."
During training operations, HSI officers wear full tactical gear, including helmets, multiple first-aid kits, bullet-proof vests, microphones and training magazines, which are the same guns officers use regularly. But they are converted to fire simulation rounds during training, the team explained to Fox News Digital.
The SRT also showed Fox News Digital how officers use drones and cameras extended on long poles to search inside threat areas before entering.
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In the search warrant scenario, the SRT demonstrated how officers would arrive in a BearCat vehicle and make their presence known at a location before shooting pepper balls at an entrance, instead of physically knocking on an entrance, to protect officers and civilians. Officers would then enter and search each room at the location for threats or victims.
The SRT officers described themselves as a family because of how much time they spend working together, typically away from their homes and real families. The team spends an average of three weeks out of every month together.
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The Jan. 1 attack was "a pretty painful experience for" HSI New Orleans agents, DeLaune said.
"That weighs heavily on the minds of our people here, but they're committed … to providing a safe and secure atmosphere for the Super Bowl. And they're committed to providing a safe and secure atmosphere for Mardi Gras, which is unique to us," DeLaune explained, adding that HSI New Orleans is comprised of a lot of locals and Louisiana natives.
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"They have an emotional personal investment here in the city and in traditions such as Mardi Gras and in supporting big events such as the Super Bowl. So, there's a lot of pride here for these agents, and they're getting the work done every day," he said.
DeLaune also had a message for the public ahead of the Super Bowl.
"Don't hold on to it, and don't be embarrassed to report something," he said. "Don't dismiss your instincts. If there's something that's not right, let us know. Let us decide whether or not it's something to be concerned about."
The FBI continues to investigate the terrorist attack that left 15 people dead on Jan. 1, including the perpetrator.
Federal authorities said Jabbar had previously visited New Orleans twice, once on Oct. 30, 2024, and once on Nov. 10, 2024. He also visited Cairo and Toronto prior to the attack, the FBI said.
While Jabbar apparently acted alone, authorities are investigating whether he had any accomplices.Original article source: Super Bowl LIX: Inside elite SWAT team's final sprint to secure New Orleans