The driver of a pickup truck mowed down around 20 cyclists and passers-by in Manhattan on Tuesday, killing eight and injuring at least eleven on Halloween Day, in the first deadly bombing in New York since 2001.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio quickly denounced an “act of terrorism” but not to mention an Islamist attack. US President Donald Trump spoke to him without delay of the Islamic State (IS) organization, after having initially described the driver as “sick” and “unbalanced”.
“We must not allow ISIS to return or enter our country after the defeat in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough! ”Tweeted the New York-born president, who promised a relentless fight against Islamist terrorism.
Several media reported that the driver of the van, an Uzbek who arrived in the United States in 2010, shouted “Allah Akhbar” (“God is great”) as he got out of his vehicle. But no official confirmed this information immediately.
If the jihadist trail were true, it would be the first time Mr. Trump has faced an attack of this kind of such seriousness since arriving at the White House.
“It’s a very difficult day for New York,” said De Blasio during a press briefing at the scene of the attack, southwest of Manhattan, not far from the memorial erected in memory of the victims of the attack. September 11th.
The Democratic mayor, who is playing for reelection on Sunday, has asked New Yorkers to be particularly vigilant and to report any anomalies.
“A target since 2001”
“We have known since September 2001 that we are a target” but “we are going to live our lives and we are not going to let terrorism win,” said Andrew Cuomo, Democratic Governor of New York State.
He announced reinforced police measures in the very touristy American financial capital, in public transport and all the strategic places of the State.
The One World Trade Center, a skyscraper erected on the site of the twin towers destroyed on September 11, 2001, was to be lit up all night in red-white-blue, in honor of “freedom and democracy.” And on social networks, many promised themselves not to give in to terrorism under the keyword #NYCstrong (New York strong).
The identity of those killed was not immediately known, but the majority could be foreigners. Belgian diplomacy announced that it was lamenting a victim, while Buenos Aires reported “several Argentinian deaths”.
The identity of the suspect has not been disclosed by the authorities. Police simply said he was 29 years old and not looking for another suspect.
Suspect injured and operated
According to several American media, it would be Sayfullo Saipov, officially resident in Florida but actually living in New Jersey, where the van had been rented.
Police said he was shot in the stomach and hospitalized. According to several media, he would have been operated in the evening and his vital prognosis would not be engaged.
Several European leaders, starting with Frenchman Emmanuel Macron and Briton Theresa May who have experienced several attacks on their soil, have shown their solidarity after the attack.
“Horrified by this cowardly attack, my thoughts are with all those who have been affected, together we will defeat terrorism,” tweeted the British Prime Minister.
“I express the emotion and solidarity of France in New York and in the United States”, declared Emmanuel Macron for his part, adding in a tweet: “Our fight for freedom unites us more than ever”.
The facts happened just after 3:00 p.m. along the Hudson River, crowded with cyclists and passers-by on that sunny day.
Halloween parade
Many were already in disguise to celebrate Halloween and take part in the grand costume parade that is held every year in Greenwich Village.
The van first drove south on the bike path and promenade along the Hudson River for nearly a mile, knocking down cyclists and passers-by, before hitting a school bus and being forced to stop, said Police Chief James O’Neill.
The driver then got out of his vehicle, armed with an air rifle and a paintball gun. It was then that the police shot him and apprehended him.
After the shooting, many worried parents rushed out of neighborhood schools.
“I didn’t see the shooting, but I got there 30 seconds later. It smelled of gunshots. There was a man lying on the ground who looked like he had been hit, and another next to him being arrested, 22-year-old John Williams told AFP.
In addition to the eight dead, eleven people were also hospitalized, in a “serious” but not critical condition, according to the firefighters. According to a tweet from Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, three Belgians are among the injured.
The last terrorist alert in New York dates back to May 22, when a former military man rushed his car into a sidewalk in Times Square, killing a young woman and injuring 22 others. The investigation had shown that he suffered from mental disorders.
Times Square, a tourist hotspot already targeted by an abortive attack in 2010, is one of New York’s most closely watched places.
The last jihadist attack in New York was on September 17, 2016, when a young American of Afghan origin, Ahmad Rahimi, planted two bombs in the upscale neighborhood of Chelsea. Only one had exploded, causing about thirty minor injuries and, “by a miracle” according to the police, no deaths.
After a recent two-week trial, he was found guilty and is now awaiting his sentence. He risks life imprisonment.
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