Report: Details emerge on reason for Sugar Bowl bomb sweep, 'terrorism' designation on Bourbon Street attack

The attack in New Orleans, which has been described as an act of “terrorism,” left a reported 10 people dead and another 30 injured and has shaken the city of New Orleans, leading to questions about the Sugar Bowl this year.

There has been an abundance of caution moving forward at the Sugar Bowl and throughout the city of New Orleans itself. That included taking the time to sweep the Superdome, where the game is held, for possible explosive devices.

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Now, a new report from CNN has shed some light as to why there was a bomb sweep following the Bourbon Street attack.

The suspect, who was killed by police after exchanging gunfire, apparently had an ISIS flag with him at the time of the attack. That connection to the terrorist organization has led to an increase in caution with how authorities are addressing the attack. On top of that, multiple explosive devices were supposedly found in the truck that he used to commit the attack.

The FBI is now leading the investigation into the incident and treating it as an act of terrorism, according to CNN. In a statement from the FBI, confirmed that it is investigating potential IEDs and is treating this as a terrorist investigation.

“Today, at approximately 3:15 a.m. CST, an individual drove a pickup truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing at least 10 and injuring dozens of others… An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle, and the FBI is working to determine the suspect’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” the statement read.

“Weapons and a potential IED were located in the subject’s vehicle. Other potential IEDs were located in the French Quarter. The FBI’s special agent bomb technicians are working with our law enforcement partners to determine if any of these 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. We are aggressively running down all leads to identify possible associations of the subject.”

The attack took place around 3:15 a.m. when a man drove intentionally his truck into a crowd of people, intending to injure and kill as many people as possible. That came while people were celebrating New Year’s Eve and just hours before the Sugar Bowl is set to be played. This season, the Sugar Bowl is also acting as a College Football Playoff game and a major draw for crowds in the city of New Orleans.

Sugar Bowl Committee and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Hundley released a statement on the incident.

“The Sugar Bowl Committee is devastated by the terrible events from early this morning,” Hundley’s statement read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. We are in ongoing discussions with authorities on the local, state, and federal levels and will communicate further details as they become available.”

The Sugar Bowl between Notre Dame and Georgia is currently scheduled for 8:45 p.m. EST. However, a scheduled press conference at 2:00 p.m. EST should reveal more about the situation and if that game is going to be possible.

Still, for the time being, there are major concerns. The Georgia football team is even dealing with a shelter-in-place order at their hotel going into the early afternoon on New Year’s Day.