WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
• Eight people died and 12 injured in the worst terror attack in New York since September 11, 2001.
• The prime suspect is 29-year-old Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov.
• He is reportedly from Uzbekistan who entered the US in 2010.
• The suspect drove a rented truck along a bike and jogging path.
• He was carrying a driver’s license ID from Tampa, Florida.
• The suspect was taken into custody, with no life-threatening injuries.
Sayfullo Saipov, 29, of Florida, is accused of driving a truck through a crowd, killing at least eight people and injuring 12 others.
Saipov was identified as an immigrant from Uzbekistan, who arrived in the US in 2010. He has a Florida driver’s licence.
In 2016, he was booked by police in Missouri for a minor offence after he had failed to pay a traffic citation.
On Tuesday, October 31, shortly after 3pm, Saipov drove the truck, and rumbled along a bike and pedestrian path for nearly four blocks, crushing people in the unsuspecting crowd.
Police sources said the suspect left a note proclaiming his loyalty to Daesh, the so-called Islamic State, in the truck.
The attacker struck just a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center memorial, running over afternoon riders and ploughing into a school bus.
He then jumped out of the truck wielding what turned out to be a pellet gun, and a paintball gun. He was chased and shot in the stomach by a police officer but survived and was arrested.
Other US media reports said Saipov was driving the truck believed to have been rented in Passaic, New Jersey. He is reported to have lived in Paterson, New Jersey with his wife and small children.
Police in New Jersey swarmed both locations looking for clues related to the attack.
A neighbour told US media that Saipov drove a white Toyota with Florida plates, and had lived in Paterson for a few months.
An FBI officer with a police dog was checking all the vehicles in the parking lot, the website said
Cowardly act
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said it was a "cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians".
He added: "We know that this action was intended to break our spirit. But we also know that 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: "My thoughts, condolences and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack. God and your country are with you!"
