Eight killed in New York terror attack
EIGHT people died in the worst terror attack on New York since September 11, 2001 as a lone-wolf extremist screaming “Allahu akbar” (God is great) used a pick-up truck to mow down cyclists along a bike path on Hallowe’en.
The assailant struck a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center memorial, running over bike riders 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 pursued and shot in the stomach by a police officer, but survived and was arrested.
US media reports named him as Sayfullo Saipov, 29, an immigrant from Uzbekistan, who arrived in the US in 2010 and now lives in Tampa, Florida. He is said to have a wife and two young children.
President Donald Trump tweeted: “Looks like another attack by a 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 followers to use vehicles to kill pedestrians. The UK, France and Germany have all seen similar attacks in recent months.
A White House official said Mr Trump was being “continually updated”.
Theresa May said she was “appalled by this cowardly attack, my thoughts are with all affected.”
Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, tweeted: “UK stands united w/ US friends following the horrific NYC attack.”
Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, called it “a very painful day in our city”.
Argentina’s foreign ministry said that several Argentines were among the dead. A Belgian citizen was another of those killed.
THE Manhattan atrocity last night was the latest in a string of terrorist attacks using everyday vehicles.
A pickup truck became a lethal weapon that mowed down pedestrians and cyclists going about their lives.
These attacks are difficult to police or protect against. They are cheap and easy to organise: there is no need for explosives or weapons and the vehicles are often rented.
The tactic was widely used by Islamist militant groups in Israel from 2008.
It has since been adopted in Western Europe by small terror cells and individuals linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
In August, a van was driven at speed down Barcelona’s La Rambla, running people down and killing 13.
In March, an Islamist terrorist drove into people along Westminster Bridge in London, killing four.
Three months later, eight people were killed by three terrorists who drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge and then went on a stabbing rampage in Borough Market.
Last December, it was a Christmas market in Berlin. The deadliest example of this form of terrorist attack in the West occurred in Nice in July 2016, when an Isillinked terrorist drove into people celebrating Bastille Day. The attack killed 86 people and injured 458.
Now New York, in the shadow of the new One World Trade Center, has suffered such an attack.
These atrocities underline the difficulty that authorities have of protecting “soft” targets. And while more barriers and CCTV cameras will go up, this type of terror attack will continue to be very difficult to stop.