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The Allstate Sugar Bowl is underway in New Orleans ... but before Georgia and Notre Dame kicked off the College Football Playoff matchup, the Caesars Superdome held a moment of silence to remember those lost during the Bourbon Street terrorist attack.

As we previously reported, the contest was postponed a day in wake of the tragedy ... but local law enforcement stated on Thursday the city was confident in its measures to ensure everyone in attendance would be safe.

After the moment of silence in the stadium, it was followed by chants of "U-S-A" and an emotional rendition of the national anthem from NOLA native Samyra Miller.

Chris Pousson grew up with Shamsud-Din Jabbar -- the terrorist who killed 14 people in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year's Day -- and reconnected with him online in recent years ... but he says Jabbar never gave any indication of being a killer.

Chris joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us about his relationship with Jabbar, who he knew as Sham.

The friends went to high school together after meeting in middle school, and Chris says when they graduated he enlisted in the Air Force and Jabbar went to the Army ... so they lost touch for a while before finding each other on Facebook.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the terrorist who wreaked havoc in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year's Day, earned a ton of medals during his service in the Army ... TMZ has learned.

The armed forces veteran served in the regular Army from March 2007 until January 2015 as a Human Resource Specialist and Information Technology Specialist -- and he was a decorated service member ... an Army spokesperson tells TMZ.

We're told Jabbar earned 23 medals, ribbons and badges ... including the Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the terrorist who killed 14 people in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year's Day, told his college newspaper a decade ago he was struggling to acclimate to life as a civilian after serving in the military.

The U.S. Army veteran studied at Georgia State University from 2015 to 2017, and in his first year on campus, he was interviewed for The Signal as part of a story about students jumping through hoops to use the G.I. Bill.

Jabbar told reporter Sean Keenan it was difficult to use the G.I. Bill for his tuition, and he was having a hard time getting used to being a college student. He told Keenan he didn't know how to talk to regular folks without using military slang.

Cops in Washington, D.C. arrested a man who was driving a car along a sidewalk near the U.S. Capitol Building Thursday morning ... an incident ramping up anxiety across the nation following 2 apparent terrorist attacks New Year's Day.

Capitol police officers say a bomb squad was brought in ... but no explosives were found inside the car.

USCP say officers responded Thursday morning to reports of a vehicle driving along the sidewalk on the grounds outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Cops pulled him over and detained him while they investigated.

Bourbon Street will return to normal in time for the Sugar Bowl on Thursday ... with the New Orleans Mayor expecting full operation prior to kickoff -- one day after the New Year's terrorist attack.

The Georgia vs. Notre Dame matchup slated to go down at the Caesars Superdome on Jan. 1 was postponed in the wake of the tragedy that killed 14 people ... and while some officials have called for more time for the community to heal, the game will go down Thursday at 1 PM PT.

With thousands of football fans in town for the College Football Playoff contest, mayor LaToya Cantrell told reporters the iconic French Quarter street will be available to those looking to watch the action from the venues in the area.

Bomb-making materials were found in a burned-out Airbnb property linked to the New Orleans terror attack New Year's Eve ... hours after 14 people were killed by a speeding truck in the popular French Quarter tourist area.

A fire was reported at an Airbnb property in New Orleans early Wednesday ... hours after the New Year's Eve attack on Bourbon Street. Firefighters responded at 5:30 AM Wednesday, and the area was immediately evacuated -- and the ATF was called to the scene. Bomb-sniffing dogs were seen searching the property.

Fox 8 in New Orleans was first to report bomb-making materials were found.

Investigators are meticulously examining the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump International Hotel in a possible terrorist attack ... and they even used a drone to peer inside the vehicle's burned-out carcass.

TMZ obtained exclusive video showing the drone hovering over the Cybertruck in the valet area as inspectors in white hazmat suits looked over every inch of the Tesla near the entrance of the hotel in Las Vegas.

Law enforcement personnel commonly utilizes drones for emergency situations to provide investigators with aerial views of incident locations or to document scenes where crimes and accidents occurred, among other things.

The terrorist who killed 15 people in New Orleans on Wednesday went from chasing a dream of real estate success to living in total squalor ... holed up in a rundown trailer park near Houston, mainly home to Muslim immigrants, just blocks from a mosque.

U.S. Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar was living with sheep and goats in his yard and had an ISIS flag attached to the rented Ford F-150 Lightning EV he used for the ISIS-inspired New Year’s Day attack.

The 42-year-old's actions and living conditions are a stark contrast to how he presented himself in a 2020 YouTube video for his real estate business, where he called himself a trustworthy Texan and a 10-year military vet who learned “the meaning of great service.” He obtained his real estate license in 2019.

Violence reigns in 2025, because there's been yet another horrific attack ...  this one outside a New York City club where 10 people were shot Wednesday night in a brazen attack -- but it's not related to terrorism, police say.

Approximately 15 people were just outside Amazura in Queens when, suddenly, 3 or 4 people opened fire. Authorities say approximately 30 shots were fired ... then the shooters took off on foot, jumped in a car and fled.

The victims were all part of a group of mostly teens -- 16 to 20 years old -- who were waiting outside to enter the private event inside the club.

The younger brother of New Orleans terrorist Shamsud-Din Jabbar is reportedly blaming "radicalization" for his kin's rampage that killed 15 people and injured scores more.

Abdur Jabbar told the New York Times Shamsud-Din was a practicing Christian in his early years in Beaumont, Texas, but then turned to the Muslim faith, spending most of his life studying Islam.

But, Abdur noted, "What he did does not represent Islam. This is more some type of radicalization, not religion."

4:05 PM PT -- President Biden confirmed, just hours before the attack, Jabbar made a series of recordings in which he pledged his allegiance to ISIS and expressed his desire to kill.

Authorities now say the terrorist who killed at least 15 people and injured dozens more by plowing his truck through a huge crowd of New Orleans revelers had help ... and the accomplices are still on the loose.

42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar was killed in a shootout during the attack on the famed Bourbon Street. CNN obtained surveillance video of his pickup truck as Jabbar maneuvered it around a police car and then sped up into the crowd. A large poll is attached to the back of the truck.

The FBI is reportedly on the hunt for 3 men and 1 woman who were caught on surveillance video apparently planting explosives. They have not been apprehended.

The Sugar Bowl -- one of the most anticipated football games of the year -- has been postponed twenty-four hours after a horrific New Year's Day attack left scores dead in the city of New Orleans, the location of the big CFB quarterfinal tilt.

Jeff Hundley, CEO of the Sugar Bowl, announced Wednesday morning that the football game between 2-seeded University of Georgia and 7-seeded Notre Dame University would kick off Thursday night just before 8 PM local time, instead of Wednesday night as planned, after consulting with the teams, TV network, and others.

"All parties and all agree that it's in the best in the best interest of everybody and public safety that we postpone the game for 24 hours," Hundley said.

An unsuspecting man in New York waiting for a subway train was thrown in front of it ... with the brutal incident caught on security footage.

Video is circulating online showing the incident which took place mid-day Tuesday ... where an unidentified 45-year-old man -- who appears to be looking at his phone -- was standing near the edge of the track at the 18th Street station.

The clip is somewhat graphic ... it shows a hooded individual walk behind the victim, before circling around and shoving him in front of the train. The train then runs over the man.

The only two survivors aboard the plane carrying 181 passengers that crashed in South Korea lucked out and had their lives spared because of their seating arrangement, according to news reports.

The fortunate flight attendants -- a man and a woman -- were reportedly seated in the tail section of the Jeju commercial airliner, which was landing at Muan International Airport after taking off from Bangkok, Thailand on Sunday.

When the plane touched down on the runway, it veered off and rammed into a wall, exploding into flames.

Robert Brooks died allegedly at the hands of New York State Corrections employees -- and perhaps even more shocking is that some of the officers rake in whopping six-figure salaries ... TMZ has learned.

Brooks -- an inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility in upstate NY -- died of asphyxia due to compression of the neck during the December 9 attack by the guards and other prison workers, according to a preliminary autopsy report.

Bodycam footage worn by staff showed the violent attack on Brooks, during which the inmate was viciously beaten while restrained and gagged. Before his death, Brooks was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault.