Eight people have now been confirmed dead after a 29-year-old man drove a ute down a bicycle path in Lower Manhattan, in an incident New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has labelled “an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror.”
Speaking to the media, de Blasio, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Police Commissioner James O’Neill outlined preliminary information on the deadly incident.
#HappeningNow: @NYCMayor, @NYPDONeill, @fdny, @NewYorkFBI & @NYGovCuomo updating New Yorkers on incident in Lower Manhattan today. pic.twitter.com/lJnfhsf41f
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 31, 2017
A 29-year-old suspect driving a rented Home Depot ute turned onto the popular bike path around 3:05 PM local time, striking a number of cyclists and pedestrians.
The vehicle then hit a school bus. The driver exited the vehicle brandishing what appeared to be two firearms, before being shot in the abdomen by a uniformed police officer on the scene.
The suspect detained and taken to hospital for treatment.
At least a dozen people sustained injuries during the incident, including two children on the school bus.
A paintball gun and a pellet gun were retrieved from the scene.
Graphic Content: Footage from a student of the scene of the truck crash in Lower Manhattan. Video: Tawhid Kabir https://t.co/0BrRAxK3YF pic.twitter.com/gYQAn9xeQH
— New York Magazine (@NYMag) October 31, 2017
It was confirmed that a statement from the suspect was enough for authorities to the incident as an act of terror. Governor Cuomo said there was no evidence to suggest a broader plot, and that the suspect appeared to be a “lone wolf”.
Witnesses reported hearing the suspect exclaim “Allahu akbar” during the incident.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Taskforce has taken the lead of the investigation.
In a tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump said the attack appeared to be perpetrated by “a very sick and deranged person.”
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
We’ll update this story as more information becomes available.
