NY under Attack: 8 People Killed

Local Editor

At least eight people have been killed and around a dozen more seriously injured after a rented truck ploughed through people on a bike path in lower Manhattan.

Videos and pictures of the scene show bikes strewn along the path, which runs alongside the West Side highway in Manhattan, while footage showed people being loaded into ambulances on stretchers.

The attack is being investigated by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

New York Police Department [NYPD] says that one person is in custody, after he crashed the truck into a bus - injuring a number of people including children - and fled the vehicle carrying what authorities said was a paintball gun and a pellet gun.

He was shot in the stomach and taken to a local hospital, he is expected to survive.

The suspect was identified by US media and others as 29-year-old-Sayfullo Saipov of Tampa - reportedly an Ukbek national who came to the US in 2010 - but the NYPD refused to confirm to the name of the suspect.

The truck entered the bike path at Houston Street, and drove through the popular recreational area on the west side of Manhattan, hitting people and bikes as he went, officials said. Estimates for the number of injured ranged from 11 to 15.

"I saw a lot of blood over there. A lot of people on the ground," said Chen Yi, an Uber driver.

The driver eventually smashed into a school bus carrying a number of children, leaving two kids injured and two adults, and police say they believe that the suspect deliberately targeted the bus. Witnesses indicated that they had seen the truck swerve to hit the bus.

New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio lamented the deaths in a press conference.
"This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives who had no idea what was about to hit them," de Blasio said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called it a "lone wolf" attack and said there was no evidence to suggest it was part of a wider plot.

New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill said a statement the driver made as he got out of the truck and the method of attack led police to conclude it was a terrorist act.

On Twitter, US President Donald Trump called it "another attack by a very sick and deranged person" and declared, "NOT IN THE USA"

"We know that this action was intended to break our spirit, but we also know that New Yorkers are Strong, New Yorkers are resilient," DeBlasio said. "We have been tested before as a city, very near where this attack occurred."

Police advised people to stay away from the area, which is around the Chambers Street. Reports indicate that a nearby high school, Stuyvesant High School, has been placed on lock down, as have several nearby buildings.

New York City will see an increased police presence in its airports, and at major infrastructure points in the coming day, Cuomo said during a press conference. He said that there the city would be increasing security as a regular precaution.

Despite no claim for the attack yet, Trump also tweeted: "We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!"

Witnesses in the area described a chaotic scene in the area, with sirens blaring in the streets.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team