Police in New York City have confirmed that eight people are dead after a truck mowed down pedestrians and bicyclists in an apparent act of terrorism.
CNN reports that at around 3pm on Tuesday, a rented Home Depot truck drove the wrong way down the West Side Highway bike path and struck a number of people. The truck then collided with a school bus at Chamber St., injuring two adults and two children.
After the crash, the driver exited the vehicle and pulled out two weapons. A police officer at the scene shot the man in the abdomen. Police recovered a paint ball gun and pellet gun following the shooting.
A 29-year-old man was rushed to hospital where he remains in police custody. The suspect has been identified as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, according to two law enforcement sources.
"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 what was about to hit them," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a news conference.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said there is no evidence to suggest the incident was part a wider plot.
"The new terrorist tactic, which they've called for publicly, are these lone wolves who commit an act of terror," he said. "This is all very preliminary. It's only been a couple of hours, but at this point 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."