At least eight people were killed and 11 injured after a driver barreled into a bike path and crashed a rental pickup truck into a crowd shouting “Allahu Akbar” in a Lower Manhattan “terror” attack Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement sources tell Fox News and The Associated Press.
The suspected driver, 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, was shot by police and taken into custody, law enforcement sources told Fox News. Saipov remains hospitalized.
According to The Associated Press, the suspect has a Florida license but may have been living in New Jersey.
Four of the injured were teachers and students near Stuyvesant High School, who were riding on a short yellow school bus when they were hit by the suspect’s Home Depot rental truck. One of the students remains in critical condition.
One of those killed in the attack was a Belgian victim in Manhattan, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of Belgium Didier Reyners tweeted on Tuesday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking at a press conference Tuesday evening, called the incident “an act of terror.”
“This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians,” de Blasio said.
This was a cowardly act of terror. It was intended to break our spirit. But New Yorkers are resilient. We will be undeterred.
— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) October 31, 2017
Governor Andrew Cuomo referred to the incident as a “lone wolf” attack, and added that at this point in the investigation, there is no evidence to suggest that there was a wider plot.
Around the globe, cities have been on high alert regarding vehicle attacks. The Islamic State has been encouraging its followers to mow down people, and England, France and Germany have all seen deadly vehicle attacks in recent months and years.
FBI officials confirmed to Fox News that they have agents responding to the situation “with NYPD.” A bomb squad was also on scene examining a vehicle.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke said in a statement that “DHS and its law enforcement partners remain vigilant and committed to safeguarding the American people.”
Following the incident in New York, President Trump tweeted “looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!”
In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
Police said the truck entered the bike path on West Street a few blocks from the new World Trade Center — the site of the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history — and plowed into several people. The driver jumped out of his rental truck carrying what turned out to be a paintball gun and a pellet gun.
Video of the attack provided to Fox News by a witness shows the accused suspect running through traffic on the West Side Highway, surrounded by police in the nearby area.
One witness who passed the scene while on the West Side Highway said he saw several people bleeding on the ground and a truck hit several people.
Despite the attack, the city’s annual Halloween Parade will go on as planned, with police “dramatically increasing presence,” including “personnel, blocker trucks, long guns etc.,” according to De Blasio’s press secretary. He added the mayor will visit the parade area to “inspect the security upgrades along the route.”
