WEB DESK
At least 8 people were killed and 11 injured when a driver plowed a pickup truck down a crowded bike path along the Hudson River in Manhattan in New York on Tuesday. After that the man was shot by a police officer in what officials are calling the deadliest terrorist attack on New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.
According to NYT, the rampage ended when the motorist — whom the police identified as Sayfullo Saipov, 29 — smashed into a school bus, jumped out of his truck and ran up and down the highway waving a pellet gun and paintball gun and shouting “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” before he was shot in the abdomen by the officer. He remained in critical condition on Tuesday evening.
Mayor Bill de Blasio declared the rampage a terrorist attack and federal law enforcement authorities were leading the investigation. Investigators discovered handwritten notes in Arabic near the truck that indicated allegiance to the Islamic State, two law enforcement officials said. But investigators had not uncovered evidence of any direct or enabling ties between Mr. Saipov and ISIS and were treating the episode as a case of an “inspired” attacker, two counterterrorism officials said.
Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference, “Based on information we have at this moment, this was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians.”
WHAT WE KNOW FROM MEDIA
• The driver was identified as Sayfullo Saipov, 29. He was shot in the abdomen and was in critical condition on Tuesday night. The authorities said he came to the United States in 2010 and was a permanent legal resident. Three officials said Mr. Saipov had previously come to the federal authorities’ attention as a result of an unrelated investigation.
• US Federal law enforcement authorities took the lead in the investigation. Two law enforcement officials said that investigators discovered handwritten notes in Arabic near the truck that indicated allegiance to the Islamic State. But as of Tuesday night investigators had not uncovered evidence of any direct or enabling ties between Mr. Saipov and the militant group and were treating the episode as a case of an “inspired” attacker.
• Six of the eight people who were killed were pronounced dead on the West Side Highway, said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. He said the two others were pronounced dead at a hospital. Officials are calling the episode the deadliest terrorist attack on New York City since Sept. 11, 2001.
• Five of the people killed were Argentine tourists who traveled to New York for a 30-year high school reunion celebration, said a senior official in Santa Fe Province, where they were from. The Argentine authorities said they were Hernán Mendoza, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi. Belgian officials said one of those killed was from Belgium.