Here is the statement from Argentina’s foreign ministry confirming that an unspecified number of “Argentine citizens died” in the attack:
Argentina reaffirms its strongest condemnation of terrorist acts and violence in all its manifestations and reiterates the need to deepen the fight against this scourge.”
The statement says the Argentine government “is deeply shocked” by what happened and adds that the Argentine consulate in New York is working with local officials to identify the victims.
This is Claire Phipps picking up our live coverage as news begins to emerge about the victims of the attack that has left eight people dead and 11 injured.
A Belgian citizen was among those killed, according to the country’s deputy prime minister, Didier Reynders:
I am deeply saddened to announce a belgian victim in #Manhattan - I express my condolences to the family and friends 🇧🇪🇺🇸
— didier reynders (@dreynders) October 31, 2017
Argentina’s foreign ministry says an unknown number of Argentine citizens also died.
The latest
- Eight people have been killed and 11 others were seriously injured.
- The suspect is a 29-year-old male who had a paintball gun and a pellet gun.
- Police have not provided official details about the suspect’s identity, but said given his mode of attack, authorities are considering it a terrorist incident.
- Sources have identified the suspect as Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbekistan national.
- Donald Trump tweeted: “We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!” He later tweeted “thoughts, condolences and prayers”.
- Law enforcement officials have told reporters that as the suspect got out of the truck, he was heard yelling “Allahu Akbar”, the Arabic phrase for “God is great”.
- The suspect was shot by police, but survived and was taken to a hospital.
- Governor Andrew Cuomo called it a “lone wolf” attack, and authorities have said there is no ongoing threat or evidence of a wider plot.
- New York officials have not released details of any possible motive, and other elected officials have not referenced Isis in their public statements.
- The attack occurred a few blocks from the new World Trade Center building at the site of the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001.
- The incident happened near Stuyvesant high school, a prestigious Manhattan public school.
- The vehicle also hit a school bus, injuring two adults and two children.
Suspect is Sayfullo Saipov, reports say
The suspect was said to be Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbekistan national, according to the Associated Press – which cited two law enforcement officials speaking anonymously – and other reports. The suspect has not yet been officially named.
Saipov was said to have entered the US in 2010. He has a Florida license but may have been living in New Jersey, reports said.
A woman from Cincinnati, Ohio, contacted by the Guardian, who identified herself as Dilfuza Iskhakova, said that Saipov had stayed at her home there for several months about six years ago, after arriving in the US from Uzbekistan. “He seemed like a nice guy, but he didn’t talk much,” said Iskhakova. “He only went to work and came back. He used to work at a warehouse.”
Iskhakova said Saipov had been applying for a green card when she knew him. Ohio state records show he registered a business involving vehicles to her home in May 2011. Iskhakova said her family lost contact with Saipov in recent years. She said she thought he had moved from Ohio to Florida, and then to the New York region, and that he now had a wife and two young daughters.
She said she did not know if Saipov was religious.
“He’s from my country,” Iskhakova said. “His father knows my husband, and sent Sayfullo here because he didn’t know anyone.”
After the his earlier tweets referencing Isis, Donald Trump has released a more traditional statement on Twitter with “condolences and prayers”. He also called the incident a “terrorist attack”:
My thoughts, condolences and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack. God and your country are with you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
The White House has also released an official statement thanking first responders and calling the incident a “cowardly attack”:
Statement from @POTUS @realDonaldTrump on the Terrorist Attack in New York City pic.twitter.com/nMe1WpqGQ6
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@Scavino45) October 31, 2017
New York Halloween parade continues
New York officials have emphasized that they do not want the attack to disrupt normal activities in the city, and leaders have said the city’s official Halloween parade will go on as scheduled. From a spokesman for mayor Bill de Blasio:
The Halloweeen Parade will go on, with NYPD dramatically increasing presence (personnel, blocker trucks, long guns etc).
— Eric Phillips (@EricFPhillips) October 31, 2017
At an earlier press conference, de Blasio said: “People should go about their business knowing that the NYPD is out in force with our partner agencies tonight and throughout the week. The bottom line is we are going to go about our business. We are not going to be deterred.”
Here is more from the authorities about ongoing parade plans and security measures:
New York City's annual Halloween parade is still on for tonight, not far from where the truck attack occurred https://t.co/zg8xe6Ffjh pic.twitter.com/SS40rkQuo8
— CNN (@CNN) October 31, 2017
Updated
While president Donald Trump has tweeted about Isis, other elected officials have offered more generic responses to the attack, which is still in the early stages of the investigation. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York issued a statement after being briefed by the FBI about the attack:
First and foremost our thoughts are with the victims and their families. As one of thousands of New Yorkers who regularly rides on the path where this attack took place, I’m particularly grateful to the NYPD and first responders who work day in and day out to keep us safe, and to those that responded to the scene today.
As the investigation unfolds, it’s critical that we learn what we can from this incident and do everything we can to prevent this from happening again. The scourge of terrorism is unfortunately still with us, and we must remain vigilant as ever.”
Speaker Paul Ryan also tweeted words of support to first responders:
Our hearts are with the victims of this apparent act of terror in New York City. Thank you to all the first responders.
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) October 31, 2017
Former president Bill Clinton has also weighed in:
New Yorkers see this attack for what it is—an attempt to sow fear. We stand against terror as we grieve for the victims and thank the @NYPD.
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) October 31, 2017
First lady Melania Trump offered “thoughts and prayers”:
My heart breaks for #NYC today. Thoughts & prayers as we monitor the situation.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) October 31, 2017
Updated
Eyewitness accounts
Here are some additional eyewitness accounts, from the Associated Press:
Tom Gay, a school photographer, was on Warren Street and heard people saying there was an accident. He went down to West Street and a woman came around the corner shouting, “He has a gun! He has a gun!”
Gay said he stuck his head around the corner and saw a slender man in a blue track suit running southbound on West Street holding a gun. He said there was a heavyset man pursuing him.
He said he heard five or six shots and the man in the tracksuit fell to the ground, gun still raised in the air. He said a man came over and kicked the gun out of his hand.
Eugene Duffy, 43, a chef at a waterfront restaurant, said he was crossing West Street when he heard something, turned back and saw the white pickup on the bike path.
After seeing the mangled bikes, he ran south, seeing the school bus that appeared to have been T-boned, and officers at the scene, guns drawn, ducked behind patrol cars.
“So many police came and they didn’t know what was happening,” Duffy said. “People were screaming. Females were screaming at the top of their lungs.”
Uber driver Chen Yi said he saw a truck plow into people on a popular bike path adjacent to the West Side Highway. He said he then heard seven to eight shots and then police pointing a gun at a man kneeling on the pavement.
“I saw a lot of blood over there. A lot of people on the ground,” Yi said.
Here’s a map of the incident in lower Manhattan. The vehicle stopped next to Stuyvesant high school and blocks away from the World Trade Center:
Trump: 'We must not allow Isis to return'
President Trump has commented further, appearing to link the attack to Isis.
We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
At an earlier press conference, police did not comment on the identity of the 29-year-old suspect or possible motives, beyond labeling it a “terror” attack. Authorities described it as a “lone wolf” incident and have said there is no evidence of an ongoing threat or wider plot. Local officials in New York have not mentioned Isis in public statements.
Here’s the Department of Homeland Security’s earlier statement:
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke has been briefed on the apparent act of terrorism that occurred this evening in New York City. The Department is closely monitoring the situation and working with our federal, state and local partners in responding to and investigating this tragedy. We are referring all questions about the investigation to the FBI and the New York Police Department.
We have recently seen attacks like this one throughout the world. DHS and its law enforcement partners remain vigilant and committed to safeguarding the American people.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this terrible incident as we work to support the New York community.
Guardian reporter Jamiles Lartey is on the scene:
The corner of Murray and West right now. pic.twitter.com/ON1ULXyCMd
— KaepBaeRnick (@JamilesLartey) October 31, 2017
Witness John Williams, 22, described the attack and chaos surrounding possible gunfire: “Originally I was walking down the street when I see a group of two women running towards me, and someone was yelling, ‘He has a gun, he has a gun.’ ... At the time, I was really just concerned that there was a man running around with a gun. I wasn’t too concerned for myself, but just the safety for everyone in the city. I mean there’s a lot of people just walking around.”
Ezequiel Gonzalez, an 18-year-old who works at Stuyvesant high school, saw the car smashed in front and said there was “all this debris everywhere” and a body covered in a sheet.
Police have said the 29-year-old suspect had a paintball gun and a pellet gun.
Law enforcement officials have said that as the suspect got out of the truck, he was heard yelling “Allahu Akbar”, the Arabic phrase for “God is great”, according to the New York Times and Associated Press.
When a reporter asked police chief James O’Neill about the phrase, he responded, “Yes, he did make a statement.” He would not confirm the words used, but added: “The MO [modus operandi] of the attack is consistent with what has been going on.”
Photos of the damage
Here are a few photos from the scene and the damage caused by the vehicle.
What we know
New York authorities have ended their first briefing, hours after a vehicle entered a bike path in lower Manhattan in an incident officials have called an “act of terror”. Here’s what we know so far:
- Eight people were killed, and 11 others were seriously injured.
- The suspect is a 29-year-old male, who had a paintball gun and a pellet gun.
- Police have not provided details about the suspect’s identity, but said that given his mode of attack and a “statement” he made, authorities are considering the incident a terrorist attack.
- The suspect was shot by police, but survived and was taken to a hospital.
- Governor Andrew Cuomo called it a “lone wolf” attack, and authorities have said there is no ongoing threat or evidence of a wider plot.
- The attack occurred a few blocks from the new World Trade Center building at the site of the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001.
- The incident happened near Stuyvesant high school, a prestigious Manhattan public school.
- The vehicle also hit a school bus, injuring two adults and two children.
- Donald Trump tweeted: “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.!”
Trump: attack by 'sick and deranged person'
Donald Trump has weighed in on the attack, which has killed eight people in lower Manhattan:
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
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders added in a statement: “The President has been briefed on the incident in NYC by [chief of staff John] Kelly and will be continually updated as more details are known. Our Thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.”
More from governor Andrew Cuomo:
New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy. We are proud of it. That also makes us a target for people who oppose those concepts...
We go forward together. And we go forward stronger than ever. We’re not going to let them win...We’ll go about our business. Be New Yorkers. Live your life. Don’t let them change us or deter us in any shape or form.
And from mayor Bill de Blasio:
People should go about their business knowing that the NYPD is out in force with our partner agencies tonight and throughout the week. The bottom line is we are going to go out our business. We are not going to be deterred.
Suspect is 29-year-old male, police say
Police officials have confirmed that the suspect is a 29-year-old male, but authorities are not yet releasing his identity. Police said his truck collided with a school bus, injuring two adults and two children. He was found with a paintball gun and pellet gun. The incident occurred near Stuyvesant high school.
The police commissioner said the suspect “did make a statement when he exited the vehicle”, but did not offer more specifics. The suspect is currently in the hospital.
Police said officials have transported 11 people with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. The press conference is ongoing.
Updated
Governor Cuomo: 'No evidence to suggest a wider plot'
Governor Andrew Cuomo said there is no ongoing threat or evidence of a wider plot, saying it appeared to be a “lone wolf”:
There is no evidence to suggest a wider plot or a wider scheme, but the actions of one individual who meant to cause pain and harm and probably death and the resulting terror. And that was the purpose. We will be vigilant, more police everywhere, you’ll see them in the airports, you’ll see them in the tunnels. It’s not because there’s any evidence of any ongoing threat or any additional threat. It is just out of vigilance and out of caution.”
Updated
Mayor De Blasio: eight dead in 'act of terror'
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking live at a press conference, has called the incident an “act of terror” that killed eight people:
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 about what was about to hit them. We know of eight innocent people who have lost their lives and over a dozen more injured.
We know that this action was intended to break our spirit, but we also know New Yorkers are strong, New Yorkers are resilient and our spirit will never be moved by an act of violence.
Updated
Several reported dead
We’re covering live the incident in New York City where a car drove through a bike path, killing several people and injuring others, according to police. Information is limited so far, but here’s some of what we know:
- The car drove through a bike path in lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon.
- The NYPD has said the suspect exited the vehicle displaying “imitation firearms”.
- Police shot the suspect, according to law enforcement.
- The Associated Press reports: “A police official said the attack was being investigated as a possible act of terrorism. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity. The attacker was taken into custody. His condition was not immediately disclosed.”
- The New York governor, Andrew Cuomo, and Mayor Bill de Blasio are expected to speak shortly.
Getting briefed on the situation in Lower Manhattan. The mayor and I will brief the press at 5:15 at One Police Plaza. pic.twitter.com/DhHO7VV8ne
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) October 31, 2017
