Biden visits New Orleans for prayer service after deadly New Year’s attack

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in New Orleans on Monday, where they’ll attend a prayer service for families of victims and impacted community members following the New Year’s Day attack in the city.

Ahead of the prayer service, the Bidens visited a memorial on New Orleans’ Bourbon Street for the victims of the attack and laid a bouquet of flowers.

They were “hoping to also be able to say thank you to some first responders” while in the city, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier Monday.

The visit comes days after a suspect, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, an Army veteran and Houston realtor, allegedly drove a rented truck into Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day. At least 14 people were killed and dozens were injured in the attack, which occurred over a three-block stretch of the tourist destination in New Orleans’ bustling French Quarter.

Jabbar, a Texas resident who FBI officials said proclaimed his support for the terror group ISIS in social media posts ahead of the attack, was killed in gunfire exchanged with New Orleans police.

The 14 victims who died included a young mother teaching her son to read, a former college football player “on top of the world” living in New York City and an 18-year-old aspiring nurse.

The prayer service the Bidens are set to attend on Monday will be hosted by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, according to the White House. It’s scheduled to begin at about 6 p.m. local time at the Cathedral-Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France, according to the White House and the archdiocese.

“Archbishop [Gregory Michael] Aymond continues to offer his prayers and condolences to those affected by this tragedy,” the archdiocese said in its announcement. “He asks that all join in prayer for our community today and every day as we work to build a culture that respects the life and dignity of all people.”

In the wake of the attack, the Biden administration said Monday it will commit additional federal resources to New Orleans for the upcoming Mardi Gras festivities. Between Feb. 21 and March 4, the city will be receiving SEAR-1 status, meaning the federal government coordinates all security related to the event and brings in more federal resources to help with security.

The Super Bowl, which will be held in New Orleans next month at the Caesars Superdome, is also a SEAR-1 event.