ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta leaders say the New Year's Eve vehicle attack on New Orleans' Bourbon Street has helped guide their security plans for large upcoming events such as Monday's national championship college football game.
They also urged people who see threats online to report them to authorities, just as they would a suspicious bag or person at the events.
“We were taking note on how a vehicle was used to harm citizens to carry out the attack, and how IEDs were placed in the area," Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said, referring to improvised explosive devices.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a rented pickup truck into the New Year's Eve crowd on Bourbon Street, police said, killing more than a dozen people and injuring about 30.
“It's not just New Orleans,” Schierbaum added. “We look at terror attacks around the globe, and where terrorists try to harm, we do our very best to make sure we stand in that gap for the citizens.”
Schierbaum and other city leaders spoke about their security plans during a Tuesday briefing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will host Monday's game between the University of Notre Dame and Ohio State University.
They also said they were prepared to keep people safe at events associated with Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
Atlanta public safety officials spoke in general terms about security plans without sharing specifics, but the police chief did note that coolers were used to conceal explosives in the New Orleans attack. In areas where coolers aren't allowed, "don't bring a cooler into the area because we're going to be looking at that," Schierbaum said.
He added to the usual guidance — if you see something, say something — to include suspicious or alarming posts online. Threatening online posts by the suspect in the New Orleans attack came hours before that crime.
“I want to implore everyone, if you see a posting on social media of someone that is threatening harm, you have a duty, an obligation as a citizen to report that to law enforcement,” Schierbaum said. “If you see something online that someone is saying they are going to harm this event or bring harm to our country, report that right away.”