Eight dead in suspected terrorist truck attack on Manhattan bike path
By Reuters
NEW YORK, Oct 31 (Reuters) - A man driving a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists on a bike path alongside the Hudson River in New York City on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about a dozen others in what authorities said was an act of terrorism.
The 29-year-old suspect was shot by police in the abdomen and arrested after he crashed the truck into a school bus and fled his vehicle, authorities said.
CNN and The New York Times, each citing law enforcement sources, reported that investigators found a note left by the suspect claiming he carried out the attack in the name of the Islamic State militant group.
A U.S. law enforcement source told Reuters the suspect was an Uzbekistan-born immigrant.
The incident marked the greatest loss of life from a suspected terrorist attack in New York since suicide hijackers crashed jetliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001, killing more than 2,600 people.
Tuesday's assault, on the far west side of lower Manhattan a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center, was reminiscent of several deadly vehicle attacks in Europe during the past 15 months.
"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," Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference following the attack.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security similarly called the incident an "apparent act of terrorism."
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the suspect appeared to have acted alone.
"There's no evidence to suggest a wider plot or a wider scheme. These are the actions of one individual meant to cause pain and harm and probably death," Cuomo said at the news conference.
Later, asked by CNN in an interview whether the suspect had been known to authorities before the attack, Cuomo replied, "It's too early to give you a definitive answer."
New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill declined to publicly identify the driver. But a source familiar with the investigation told Reuters the driver's name was Sayfullo Saipov.
CNN and NBC News reported that he entered the United States in 2010.
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Multiple media outlets, including CNN, reported that the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" - Arabic for "God is greatest" - when he jumped out of his truck, citing police officials.
Asked about that at the news conference, O'Neill would only say that an unspecified comment by the suspect when he exited his truck, and the general circumstances of the assault, led investigators to label the incident a "terrorist event."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the New York City Police Department and other agencies in a Joint Terrorism Task Force to conduct a probe of the attack, the FBI said in a statement.
ABC News reported that Saipov lived in Tampa, Florida. A check of court records related to a traffic citation that Saipov received in eastern Pennsylvania in 2015 show he listed addresses then in Paterson, New Jersey, and Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
According to O'Neill, the suspect drove onto the bike path in lower Manhattan at 3:05 p.m. He said the man was carrying a paint-ball gun and a pellet gun.
Two children and two adults were injured when the truck plowed into the school bus, he said.
O'Neill said the pickup truck driven by the suspect had been rented from the Home Depot hardware chain, but declined to say where it was rented.
After the attack, mangled and flattened bicycles littered the sunlit bike path, which runs parallel to the West Side Highway along the Hudson River.
Of the eight people killed, six were pronounced dead at the scene and two more were pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, O'Neill said.
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said 11 survivors with serious but non-life-threatening injuries were taken to hospitals.
Despite the attack, thousands of costumed Halloween revelers turned out hours later for New York City's main Halloween parade, which went on as scheduled Tuesday night, just a few blocks from the scene of the carnage, with a heightened police presence.
U.S. President Donald Trump was briefed on the incident, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.
Trump, who has pressed for a ban on travelers entering the United States from some predominantly Muslim countries, said on Twitter that he had ordered Homeland Security officials to "step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!"
In an official White House statement later, the president said, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of today's terrorist attack in New York City and their families." He also paid tribute to the "first responders who stopped the suspect and rendered immediate aid to the victims."
Similar attacks in Europe last year killed dozens of people.
On July 14, 2016, a suspect drove a large truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice, killing 86 people and injuring hundreds more in an attack for which Islamic State claimed responsibility.
Five months later a Tunisian asylum seeker, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, plowed a truck into a crowded Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring 48.
On Aug. 17 of this year, a driver rammed his van into crowds in the heart of Barcelona, killing 13 people, in an attack authorities said was carried out by suspected Islamist militants. (Reporting by Dan Trotta and Gina Cherelus in New York; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen and Anna Driver in New York, Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles, Mark Hosenball in Washington; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Incredible video shows 29-year-old Uzbek national waving a fake gun around in the middle of the highway before being shot in the stomach by hero NYPD officer who stopped the carnage from being much worse
- Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov has been named as suspect in Tuesday attack
- Video from the scene shows Saipov attempting to flee on foot before being shot in the stomach by NYPD officer Ryan Nash, 28
- Saipov, 29, came to U.S. from Uzbekistan in 2010 and used addresses in Florida and New Jersey
- He worked as commercial truck driver and Uber driver, according to a friend
- It's suspected Saipov rented truck used in attack from Home Depot in Passaic, New Jersey; police were searching parking lot at store Tuesday night for his car
- At least eight people died and several others left injured from terror attack
- Five Argentinians and one Belgian were confirmed among the eight dead
Incredible video shows the moment the suspected Uzbek national terror attacker waived two imitation guns around before being shot in the stomach by a single NYPD officer who stopped the carnage of Tuesday's horrific attack from being much worse.
Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, was taken into custody by police after he was shot by hero NYPD officer Ryan Nash, 28, while trying to flee the attack scene shouting 'Allahu Akbar'.
The 29-year-old man is suspected of killing eight people and injuring several others when he mowed them down driving a Home Depot truck.
A federal law enforcement source told CBS News that a note was found in the suspect's truck that made reference to ISIS.
Saipov, who used addresses in both Florida and most recently New Jersey, is out of surgery and in recovery at a New York hospital.
Authorities are searching the parking lot of a Home Depot in Passaic, New Jersey as it's believed he rented the truck used in the attack from that location.
Video from the scene shows the suspect running in the middle of the street while carrying a paintball gun and a pellet a gun, which police believed to be real weapons at the time.
The clip was filmed from inside of an office building at the scene, as employees can be heard sounding terrified of the suspect in the street.
On the run: Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov allegedly killed at least eight people when he mowed them down on the West Side Highway bike path on Tuesday afternoon. He is pictured above after emerging from the vehicle a paintball gun and a pellet a gun trying to flee
Saipov was taken into custody by police after he was shot in the stomach by NYPD officer Ryan Nash, 28. He is pictured above on the ground after being shot
The 29-year-old man, who used addresses in both Florida and most recently New Jersey, is out of surgery and in recovery at a New York hospital. He is an Uzbek national
Saipov is pictured above moments after crashing the rented Home Depot truck as he tried to flee the scene on Tuesday before being shot
NYPD officer Ryan Nash (above), 28, is being credited with stopping the attack from becoming worse by shooting Saipov
Nash joined the NYPD in July 2012 and is a Long Island resident, police sources told the Daily News. He was commended by NYPD Commissioner James O'Neil for his efforts
Moments later, Nash shot Saipov in the suspect, causing him to collapse to the ground in the street, which is not far from the World Trade Center.
Sirens can be heard rushing to the hectic scene that left millions on high alert in the city and across the country.
Nash is assigned to Lower Manhattan's 1st Precinct and arrived to the scene after responding to a call of a nonviolent, emotionally disturbed person outside Stuyvesant High School, the New York Daily News reported.
Nash joined the NYPD in July 2012 and is a Long Island resident, police sources told the Daily News.
He is being credited with stopping the tragedy from becoming worse and was commended by NYPD Commissioner James O'Neil for his efforts.
'I want commend the response of our NYPD officer that was on post near the location who stopped the carnage moments after it began,' O'Neill told reporters at a press conference Tuesday evening.
Saipov turned on to the bike track at Houston Street then drove for 17 blocks southbound. The pathway leads from Greenwich Village down to Tribeca. Saipov drove the full distance, only coming to a stop when he hit a school bus at Chambers Street
The rented Home Depot truck, which plowed through cyclists and runners on a bicycle path on the West Side Highway in lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, is pictured above
The truck came to a stop by crashing into a school bus after plowing through others on the bike path. The two adults and two children inside the bus were injured
The driver eventually came to a stop beneath the TriBeCa Bridge at Chambers Street where he got out of the car and was shot. The car took with it a large amount of debris from the cycle path and beside it and was smashed in at the front
The horrific attack happened shortly after 3pm when the driver mounted the bicycle path at Houston Street and drove 17 blocks downtown, knocking down victims before coming to a stop at Chambers Street where he eventually crashed in to a school bus.
There were two children and two adults inside the bus at the time. They are among the 11 injured people now in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Information about the victims of the terror attack began emerging on Monday evening.
Among those killed were five Argentinians in New York for a class of 1987 school reunion, according to the Argentine government. They were named as Ariel Erlij, Hernán Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Damián Pagnucco and Hernán Ferruchi.
The statement said that 'a sixth victim, Martin Ludovico Marro, is hospitalised at the Presbyterian Hospital of Manhattan recovering from injuries suffered, out of danger according to the official medical part.'
'The compatriots, from the city of Rosario, were part of a group of friends celebrating the 30th anniversary of their graduation from the polytechnic school of that city when the tragic event occurred,' it continued.
'The consulate general continues working in permanent contact with the police authorities and the hospital that received the affected, as well as with the relatives in Argentina.
'We accompany the families in this terrible moment of deep pain, which all Argentines share.'
Erlij, 48, was a steel mill owner who had paid for flights for several of his friends so they could attend, according to local Argentine newspapers, The Guardian reported.
Also among the dead was one Belgian, Didier Reynders, deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister for Belgium, confirmed. Three other Belgians were among the wounded.
'I am deeply saddened to announce a Belgian victim in Manhattan,' Reynders tweeted. 'I express my condolences to the family and friends.'
He said the three others that were hurt were 'in the operating room'.
A vehicle is surrounded by a police perimeter in the parking lot of a Home Depot store in Passaic, New Jersey where authorities believe Saipov rented the truck used in the attack
'I am deeply saddened to announce a Belgian victim in Manhattan,' he tweeted. 'I express my condolences to the family and friends.'
At a press conference at Police Plaza shortly after the attack, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned the attack as a 'cowardly act of terror'.
'We know this action was intended to break out spirit. But we also know New Yorkers are strong, resilient and our spirit will never be moved by an act of violence or an act meant to intimidate us.
'Based on the information we have, this was an act of terror and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, people going about their lives,' he said.
Saipov is pictured in an arrest photo after he failed to pay a traffic citation in St. Charles County, Missouri 2016
De Blasio was joined by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who prayed for those killed.
'It reminds us all how precious life is. They left the house the morning, they were enjoying the beautiful west side of Manhattan on a beautiful fall day and now they will not be returning home.
'That shock and that pain is going to be very real,' he said.
President Trump acknowledged the attack on Twitter, describing the perpetrator as a 'sick' individual.
'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.!' he said.
First Lady Melania Trump, who was in Manhattan when the attack occurred, said: 'My heart breaks for NYC today.
'Thoughts & prayers as we monitor the situation.'
The front of the Tampa, Florida apartment building where Saipov also listed as an address is pictured on Tuesday night
Members of the Paterson police department block of Genesse Ave. near Getty Ave. where it is believed that Saipov 29, lived in an apartment building
It's unclear if anyone else lived in the Paterson apartment with Saipov
Records show Saipov used the address in Paterson, New Jersey (file above) that he provided police during a Pennsylvania traffic stop from 2015
The annual Halloween Parade started at 7pm with an increased police presence. In addition, bolstered police patrols are expected across the city in the coming days and weeks.
Saipov is an Uzbek national who came to the U.S. in 2010, according to NBC. At the time of his arrest on Tuesday, he was carrying a Florida identification card that listed a Tampa address, but he also used an address in New Jersey.
The suspect was said to be 'very friendly', as he also reportedly worked for Uber, according to one of his friends, Kobiljon Matkarov.
The 37-year-old told The New York Post that he met Saipov roughly five years ago in Florida where they became friends.
'He is very good guy, he is very friendly… he is like little brother… he look at me like big brother,' Matkarov told the Post by phone from his home in Miamisburg, Ohio.
'My kids like him too, he is always playing with them. He is playing all the time.'
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Court records show Saipov was stopped in Mount Holly Springs Borough, Pennsylvania on March 26, 2015 by Deputy Ron Hoover of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department
Saipov, who provided authorities with an address in Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to a single charge of maximum length of a single trailer and paid the fees associated with the citation
He said that Saipov had been living in New Jersey and working for Uber as recently as this past summer.
Matkarov said that Saipov took him to John F. Kennedy Airport back in June when he flew to Uzbekistan with his children and wife.
'He dropped me to the airport with my family… I called him and said I needed a ride,' Matkarov stated.
But Matkarov said that his son asked for a photo when they were departing and Saipov declined.
Matkarov said Saipov got along well with his five kids, who enjoyed playing with him.
'He no like that. He said no,' Matkarov said.
He added that he did not know Saipov to have any terrorist corrections.
According to online records, he worked as a commercial truck driver and had also lived in Ohio previously. He also has a minor criminal record for traffic offenses in Missouri and Pennsylvania.
Saipov provided an address in St Charles County, Missouri for that traffic violation, which shows the location is registered address for STL Logistics LLC.
That company had a Freightliner tractor and semi-trailer registered, records show.
He was arrested by St. Charles County police after failing to pay a traffic citation.
Court records also show he was stopped in Mount Holly Springs Borough, Pennsylvania on March 26, 2015 by Deputy Ron Hoover of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department.
Saipov, who provided authorities with an address in Paterson, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to a single charge of maximum length of a single trailer and paid the fees associated with the citation.
He has two businesses registered in Ohio- Sayf Motors Inc. in Hamilton County from May 2011 and Bright Auto LLC in Cuyahoga Falls from August 2013.
According to state records, Sayf Motors Inc. is located at an apartment in Cincinnati and the license remains active.
Bright Auto LLC is also based in an apartment and records show the company is an active carrier registered with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Records show that the trucking company has one truck and one driver.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5037279/Truck-driver-terror-attack-Uzbek-national-aged-29.html#ixzz4x9HTQGpn
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