Manhattan truck attack leaves 8 people dead, injures about a dozen

A man drove a truck down a bike path in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon, leaving at least eight people dead. The attacker got out of the vehicle with fake guns and was shot by police.

The suspect in the attack was identified as Sayfullo Saipov from Tampa, Florida, ABC News reports. Officials said he drove a Home Depot truck and went as many as 20 blocks south on the bike path, hitting several cyclists and pedestrians.

Six males were pronounced dead on the spot. Two other victims were "transported in traumatic arrest,” then taken to a hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Manhattan truck attack

New York City police commissioner James O'Neill said 11 people were transported to hospital with serious injuries. News footage showed mangled bicycles on the bike path as medics attended to wounded victims.

The vehicle crashed with a school bus at Chambers Street. Two adults and two children were injured.

After the collision, the truck driver got out of the vehicle with two handguns. Police said a local uniformed police officer shot the attacker in the abdomen. A pellet and a paintball gun were recovered at the scene.

Saipov was wounded and brought to a local hospital. A law enforcement source told CNN that the suspect was out of surgery.

The incident is being treated by federal authorities as a terrorist attack. According to law enforcement officials, the attacker was heard yelling, "Allahu Akbar," which means “God is great,” after he got out of the utility vehicle.

In a media conference, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said "this was an act of terror around a particularly cowardly act of terror, aimed at innocent civilians.” An investigation will be jointly conducted by the New York Police Department and the FBI. O'Neill said the motivation of the attack will form part of the investigation.

US President Donald Trump tweeted that ISIS must not be allowed to return or enter the US. “My thoughts, condolences and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack-God and your country are with you!” he wrote in a separate tweet.

Saipov came to the United States in 2010, according to two law enforcement officials. Authorities are not looking for additional suspects. Vehicles have been used as weapons in some terrorist attacks in recent years, including the fatal incidents in Nice, France and London.