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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 1 november 2017
At Press Time:

8 killed in New York City

in ‘cowardly act of terror’

By COLLEEN LONG was a terrorist act.
JAKE PEARSON On Twitter, President Don-
Associated Press ald Trump called it “anoth-
NEW YORK (AP) — A man er attack by a very sick and
in a rented pickup truck deranged person” and de-
mowed down pedestri- clared, “NOT IN THE U.S.A.”
ans and bicyclists along Cities around the globe
a busy bike path near the have been on alert against
World Trade Center memo- attacks by extremists in ve-
rial Tuesday, killing at least hicles.
eight and injuring 11 others The Islamic State has been
in what the mayor called encouraging its follow-
“a particularly cowardly ers to mow down people,
act of terror.” and England, France and
The 29-year-old driver was Germany have all seen
shot in the abdomen by deadly vehicle attacks in
police and taken into cus- recent months and years.
tody after jumping out of Police said the vehicle, a
the truck with what turned rented Home Depot truck,
out to be a fake gun in entered the bike path at
each hand and shouting about 3 p.m. on West Street
“Allahu Akbar!” officials a few blocks from the new
said. World Trade Center — the
His condition was not im- site of the deadliest terror
mediately released. attack in U.S. history — and
Witnesses described a mowed down several peo-
scene of panic and blood, ple.
with people screaming in The truck then turned at
fear and the path strewn Chambers Street near the
with mangled bicycles and trade center site, striking
bodies that were soon cov- a small yellow school bus
ered over with tarps. and injuring two adults and
The attack closed streets two children.
across the western edge of In addition to those killed,
Manhattan along the Hud- 11 people were seriously in-
son River and sent officers jured, police said.
rushing to the neighbor- A paintball gun and a pel-
hood as people prepared let gun were found at the
for Halloween festivities, scene, police said.
including the annual pa- “This was an act of terror,
rade through Greenwich and a particularly cow-
Village. ardly act of terror aimed at
The driver’s identity was not innocent civilians, aimed at
immediately released. people going about their
New York Gov. lives who had no idea what
Andrew Cuomo called it a was about to hit them,”
“lone wolf” attack and said Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
there was no evidence At least two bodies could
to suggest it was part of a be seen lying on the path
wider plot. beneath tarps, and the
A law enforcement official front end of the pickup was
who was not authorized to smashed in. Bicycles and debris lay on a bike path after a motorist drove onto the path near the World Trade
discuss the case publicly Tom Gay, a school pho- Center memorial, striking and killing several people Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, in New York.
and spoke on condition of tographer, was on Warren (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
anonymity said witnesses Street and heard people set man pursuing him. ing the mangled bikes, he adjacent to the West Side
told police the attacker saying there was an acci- He said he heard five or six ran south, seeing the school Highway. He said he then
yelled, “Allahu akbar!” — dent. shots and the man in the bus that appeared to have heard seven to eight shots
“God is great” in Arabic — He went down to West tracksuit fell to the ground, been T-boned, and officers and then police pointing a
as he got out of the truck. Street and a woman came gun still raised in the air. at the scene, guns drawn, gun at a man kneeling on
Asked about that at a around the corner shout- He said a man came over ducked behind patrol cars. the pavement.
news conference, New ing, “He has a gun! He has and kicked the gun out of “So many police came and “I saw a lot of blood over
York City Police Commis- a gun!” his hand. they didn’t know what was there. A lot of people on
sioner James O’Neill re- Gay said he stuck his head Eugene Duffy, 43, a chef happening,” Duffy said. the ground,” Yi said.
plied: “Yeah. around the corner and saw at a waterfront restau- “People were screaming. Video footage of the
He did make a statement a slender man in a blue rant, said he was crossing Females were screaming school bus showed its right
when he exited the vehi- track suit running south- West Street when he heard at the top of their lungs.” side bashed in, and fire-
cle.” He said the statement bound on West Street hold- something, turned back Uber driver Chen Yi said he fighters surrounding it as
and the method of attack ing a gun. and saw the white pickup saw a truck plow into peo- they worked to free chil-
led police to conclude it He said there was a heavy- on the bike path.After see- ple on a popular bike path dren inside.q