Terror in the heart of New York: An assassin crashed into pedestrians and cyclists in a small truck in Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring eleven people. The 29-year-old man drove the rented pick-up truck on a pedestrian and bicycle path and ran over or rammed several people, said the New York Police (NYPD) and Mayor Bill de Blasio at a press conference. De Blasio spoke of a cowardly “act of terror”.
The alleged perpetrator is a Uzbek who came to the United States in 2010 and was legally living in the country with a green card. The police gave his name to Sayfullo S. He had been preparing the attack for “a number of weeks,” said John Miller of the New York police. He did this on behalf of the terrorist militia “Islamic State” (IS). It seems as if the man had “followed the IS instructions almost exactly to the point”. A police officer shot the man in the stomach, arrested him, took him to a clinic and had an operation. The authorities assume a lone perpetrator.
According to the authorities, five Argentinians were among the dead in New York. The Foreign Office in Berlin contradicted the New York fire brigade, which had declared that there was a German among the dead in the terrorist attack. A spokesman for the office told the German Press Agency that the fact remains that a German was injured, but no German nationals were killed. Obviously, there is a mix-up in the information provided by the fire brigade chief.
The security precautions in the metropolis have been tightened, but the Halloween parade traditionally held on the evening of October 31 in New York was held nonetheless. “This is a very painful day for our city, but New Yorkers are not going to change because of a terrorist attack,” said de Blasio.
The incident occurred in southwest Manhattan. At the level of West Houston Street, the perpetrator sped a rented white pick-up truck on a pedestrian and bicycle path about 20 blocks away. At Chambers Street, the truck collided with a school bus in front of a high school and came to a halt. The driver got out and shouted “Allahu Akbar”, Arabic for “God is great,” the police confirmed. Then he held up two guns that later turned out to be a relatively safe paintball gun and an air rifle.
Forensic scientists investigate the crime scene after the attack
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US President Donald Trump announced that he had instructed his administration to tighten security reviews. “I just hired the Department of Homeland Security to step up our already extreme program of security reviews,” Trump tweeted. “It’s okay to be politically correct, but not for it!” He added.
In addition, Trump now wants to abolish the so-called green card lottery. The raffle annually gives up to 50,000 foreigners from all over the world permanent residence status with work permits in the USA. Many Germans also benefit from this every year. “The terrorist came to our country through the so-called Diversity Visa Lottery Program,” wrote Trump on Twitter.
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If the assessment of the security authorities is confirmed, it would be the first Islamist terrorist attack in Trump’s term in office. The President has advocated tightening US immigration policy and justified this by stating that he assessed the terrorist threat to the US as very specific. He wanted to introduce an entry ban for people from predominantly Muslim countries, but failed in court.
“We think of the people of our great host city; today we are all New Yorkers at the UN headquarters,” wrote UN Secretary General António Guterres via the short message service Twitter. He was “shocked and deeply sad”.
The federal government also reacted to the attack with horror. The Federal Government condemned the terrorist attack “in the strongest”, stressed Chancellor Angela Merkel. She expressed her condolences to the bereaved and wished the injured a speedy recovery. At the same time, Merkel assured the United States of support from Germany. “Germany stands firmly on the side of the United States of America in the fight against terrorism,” wrote Merkel in a telegram to Trump. “We trust in the strength of our democratic societies and the persuasiveness of our liberal values.”
Federal Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that the fight against terrorism affects everyone. “We stand firmly on the side of the United States in the fight against this senseless violence.” Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere also emphasized: “We will oppose this in close cooperation, especially with our American partners, with all consistency.”
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Numerous other states, including Iran, condemned the attack. Uzbekistan offered support. His country will use all resources to help with the investigation, said President Shawkat Mirsiyoyev in a letter of condolence to US President Trump.
The attack brings back memories of similarly devastating terrorist attacks with vehicles in recent years. It was only at the beginning of June that attackers ran over people on London Bridge in a van in the British capital. Almost a year earlier, an Islamist assassin in Nice drove a truck into a crowd. In December 2016, the Tunisian Anis Amri drove a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in Berlin.
stu/rb (dpa, rtr)
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