section_path: Background
section_name: Background
paragraph_text: Background
  
  Federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies had warned local police agencies about potential vehicle-ramming attacks before the holidays. In a 2017 memo, the city government also noted the risks of a mass casualty incident, including from a vehicle attack in the French Quarter, and it had plans to increase security in the area. In that same year, the city government acquired a set of L-shaped temporary Archer vehicle barriers from Meridian Rapid Defense Group and used them to help secure the city's Mardi Gras parade against vehicle attacks. The city spent $250,000 to purchase a set of 45 Archer barriers.
  
  American officials were concerned about the potential for lone wolf attacks and efforts by the Islamic State's Khorasan branch to recruit new members by spreading propaganda online and radicalizing vulnerable populations.
  
  The New Year celebrations in the city included parties on Bourbon Street and a parade for the 2025 Sugar Bowl, one of New Orleans's major sporting events, which was scheduled to take place on the night of January 1 at Caesars Superdome between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Law enforcement had increased security in preparation for these events, including the use of drones in the French Quarter.