Manhattan’s Halloween horror: Truck mows down pedestrians in suspected terror attack

Terror returned to haunt the streets of Manhattan as at least 8 people were killed and about a dozen injured when a pick-up truck ran over cyclists and pedestrians alongside the Hudson River on the far west side of lower Manhattan. The driver has been identified as a 29-year-old Uzbek who was shot in the abdomen by the police while he was about to flee after crashing his truck into a school bus. A joint task force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York City Police Department and other agencies probing the attack have found out that Sayfullo Saipov, the attacker, was a resident of Florida and a a number of other registered addresses in Ohio. He had been previously booked for minor traffic violations. It is also reported that he had commercial license in two states that allowed him to drive large trucks. While some news agencies claimed that a note was left behind that said that the October 31 attack was carried out into the name of ISIS, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, “There’s no evidence to suggest a wider plot or a wider scheme. These are the actions of one individual meant to cause pain and harm and probably death”. Hours after the attack the Halloween parade passing through the area was given increased police protection.