At least eight people have died and dozens more have been injured after a man drove his ute into a bicycle path near the National Sept 11 Memorial in New York City.
The rented ute struck cyclists and pedestrians on the bike path before it veered into traffic lanes and striking a number of vehicles including a school bus.
The unnamed 29-year-old was shot by police after leaving the vehicle brandishing what were found to be paintball and pellet guns and, according to a number of witnesses, reportedly shouting “God is great” in Arabic. He has been taken to hospital.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the incident in Lower Manhattan was being treated as a terrorist attack but that it was not believed to be part of a wider plot.
“Let me be clear that based on the information we have at this moment, 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,” he said.
Mr de Blasio said that while the attack was “intended to break our spirit, but we also know New Yorkers are strong, New Yorkers are resilient and our spirit will never be moved by an act of violence and an act meant to intimidate us.”
US President Donald Trump tweeted: “In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!”
