It’s the worst terror attack in New York City since 9/11.
Eight people are dead and a dozen are injured after a rented Home Depot pickup truck slammed into a crowd of people. The suspect, 29-year--old Sayfullo Saipov, tore through a bike lane in lower Manhattan near the West Side Highway before slamming into a school bus.
“This was an act of terror and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
Witnesses said Saipov got out of the truck and screamed “Allahu akbar.” He was shot in the abdomen and injured by a police officer.
Inside the truck, there were handwritten notes where Saipov pledged his allegiance to ISIS. The attack has all the hallmarks of the terror group, which has called on followers to use vehicles to kill large numbers of people.
“There's no ongoing threat. There's no evidence of that at this time,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
Saipov came to the U.S. from Uzbekistan in 2010. He lived in Tampa, Florida and has recently lived in Paterson, New Jersey where he worked as an Uber driver.
“We will be vigilant, more police everywhere. You'll see them in the airports, you'll see them in the tunnels,” Cuomo said.
The next big challenge comes this weekend, when 50,000 runners will participate in the New York City Marathon. There will be extra officers, sand trucks and other resources on hand.
Five of those killed were Argentine tourists celebrating a 30-year high school reunion. A sixth victim was from Belgium.
Photo Credit: Alice Stockton-Rossini