Eight people died and 11 injured in the worst terror attack on New York since September 11, 2001 as a lone wolf extremist screaming “Allahu Akbar” used a pick-up truck to mow down cyclists along a bike path on Halloween. The attacker struck just a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center memorial, running over afternoon riders on the path before reaching a road and ploughing into a school bus. He then jumped out of the truck wielding what turned out to be a pellet gun, and a paintball gun. He was chased and shot in the stomach by a police officer but survived and was arrested.
The suspect has been identified as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, an immigrant from Uzbekistan, who arrived in the US in 2010. He has a Florida driver’s license but was reportedly living in Paterson, New Jersey, with family, sources told local media. US media, citing police sources, said that Saipov left a note in the truck claiming he committed the attack on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter: “Looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!” Mr Trump blamed the attack on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant which has encouraged its followers to use vehicles to mow people down. The UK, France and Germany have all seen deadly vehicle attacks in the recent past. The US president added: “We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!”
A White House official said Mr Trump had been fully briefed by his chief of staff John Kelly and was being “continually updated”. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “appalled by this cowardly attack, my thoughts are with all affected. Together we will defeat the evil of terrorism”. The attack begun shortly after 3pm when the truck mounted a bike path that runs down along the western edge of Manhattan, along the Hudson River, at Houston Street. It headed south, smashing into pedestrians and cyclists as it picked up speed and leaving bodies crumpled in its wake.
Those who spotted the vehicle had little doubt the intention was terror, unable to think of another explanation for what they were seeing. “I was just going to watch a baseball game ” said Eugene Duffy, a 43-year-old eye witness to the incident. “I saw a truck and he was clearly in the bike lane at three in the afternoon. “Then I saw two gentlemen lying on the path with tyre marks on their bodies.They were not moving. “He was going really fast and they didn’t know what hit them.”
Jamal Lewis, a 17-year-old student who witnessed the attack told The Daily Telegraph: “I was walking down West street and heard a loud noise behind me. I saw the white pickup truck run over two cyclists and carried on. People were around their bodies, but they were dead. There was no screaming, people were in shock.” The attacker continued all the way until Chambers Street – a distance of round 20 blocks – before heading back to the road.
The truck smashed into a yellow school bus, injuring children and adults and leaving sizable dents in both vehicles. The crash happened just a few blocks from World Trade Center memorial. The attacker was left injured but not incapacitated. Stumbling from the car, he pulled out what appeared to be two guns – but were later confirmed to be a paintball and pellet gun. “Allahu Akbar”, he begun to shout – “God is Great” in Arabic – as passersby screamed and ran in all directions. James O’Neill, the city’s police chief, confirmed that the suspect made a statement that suggested terrorism as a motive when he exited the vehicle.
“If you just look at the M.O. of the attack, that’s consistent with what’s been going on. So that along with the statement has enabled us to label this a terrorist event,” he said. One witness said the driver looked “confused” and appeared to be injured in a “pretty bad” way. Others said he was limping. “A whole load of people came running past my way saying ‘he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun’, the witness added. By coincidence, a New York police officer stationed close by heard the commotion and was able to intervene rapidly.
Witnesses recall hearing between five and ten shots. The NYPD later confirmed the attacker had been shot in the abdomen and taken to hospital. The officer was praised by Bill de Blasio, the New York Mayor, while other officers said it was that quick thinking that had prevented more “carnage”. Soon half a dozen ambulances and a dozen fire truck had rushed to the area and police cordoned off the road. Two police helicopters buzzed overhead. While details were preliminary and the investigation still underway, the mayor said the suspect appeared to have been a lone wolf and not part of a wider plot.
A motorist drove onto a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center memorial and struck several people on Tuesday police and witnesses saidCredit: AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews In the aftermath of the attack, shocked office workers stood at police cordons with children and parents on their way to Halloween parties. One children’s’ party at a small park near the scene of the attack had to be cancelled as the area was secured by police. Dozens of children in fancy dress, many crying, were led away.
One of the mothers, Michelle Williams, said: “My kids are in complete shock. They don’t understand what’s happening. They have been looking forward to tonight for weeks – it’s supposed to be the most fun night of the year. I don’t know what I’m going to tell them. How do you explain this?”
The city’s main Village Halloween Parade went ahead as planned last night – but with an extremely heavy police presence. New Yorkers refused to be cowed by the attack.
“You can’t let the terrorists win,” said Sam Rosenthal, who was on his way to a Halloween party. “I think New York is like London – after something like this, you have to get on and live your life without fear. Otherwise they win.”
Source: Telegraph
