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8 people killed, 11 injured in New York City attack

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggests this is not a part of a wider plot.

Officers respond to a report of gunfire along West Street near the pedestrian bridge at Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. CREDIT: Martin Speechley/NYPD via AP
Officers respond to a report of gunfire along West Street near the pedestrian bridge at Stuyvesant High School in lower Manhattan in New York, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017. CREDIT: Martin Speechley/NYPD via AP

Eight people are dead and 11 more have serious but non life-threatening injuries after the driver of a rented Home Depot truck drove onto a bike path in lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon. The suspect ran over multiple people before crashing into a school bus, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

The suspect, a 29-year-old male, was shot in the abdomen by law enforcement after exiting the vehicle brandishing two fake weapons, a paint gun and a pellet gun.

The suspect was apprehended and is currently in the hospital, according to police. During a Tuesday evening press briefing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) referred to the incident as a “lone wolf” attack and said there’s no evidence to suggest it was part of a wider plot.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) called the incident an “act of terror.”

Law enforcement officials told the New York Times that the driver of the truck shouted “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” when exiting the vehicle.

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Many media outlets are beginning to report the incident as a deliberate terrorist attack, although it isn’t known what exactly the NYPD is using as evidence to declare the incident as an “act of terror.”

A recent study found that attacks committed by people claiming to be Muslim received 449 percent more coverage in recent years than those perpetrated by non-Muslims. Additionally, how the media the media chooses to frame alleged terrorist incidents has long-standing effects that reinforce harmful biases against the Muslim community.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 


UPDATE (7:42 PM): Multiple outlets have identified the suspect as a 29-year-old man named Sayfullo Saipov from Uzbekistan.