Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “deeply grieved” to hear the news of Tuesday’s terrorist attack in New York City that killed eight people and seriously injured 11 others as the attacker slammed a rented pick-up truck into cyclists and pedestrians enjoying a sunny Halloween afternoon on a riverfront bike path near the World Trade Center.
No Canadians were killed or injured in the attack but victims reflected they city’s diversity: One of the dead was from Germany. Five were from Argentina and were celebrating the 30th anniversary of a school graduation, according to officials who briefed the media on Wednesday morning. The injured included students and staffers on a school bus that the driver rammed.
“Canadians join me in offering our sincere condolences to those mourning the loss of family members and friends,” Trudeau said in a statement.
Canada was also extending its wishes for a full recovery to those who were injured, Trudeau said.
“New York is known for its resilience and strength, and we know that New Yorkers will stand together as they always have in the face of difficult situations,” Trudeau said.
“Tonight, we offer our prayers and thoughts to our neighbours in the United States. We are with you, as always, as friends and allies.”
In the meantime, authorities in New York were continuing their investigation into the lone-wolf attack allegedly carried out by an immigrant from Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia.
The driver of the pick-up truck was in critical condition but expected to survive after a police officer shot him in the abdomen.
Law enforcement officials identified the slight, bearded attacker as Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old who came to the U.S. legally in March of 2010. Several knives were also recovered in the truck, officials said.
It appears that Saipov was planning the attack for weeks and followed instructions posted by ISIS on its social media accounts, officials said Wednesday.
Notes found in the truck led the police believe the attacker was inspired by ISIS, officials said. The handwritten notes in Arabic praised ISIS and said it would endure forever, John Miller, NYC Deputy Police Commissioner, said. However, Saipov was not on the police radar prior to the attack, Miller said.
Investigators spoke with Saipov, who remained hospitalized Wednesday after surgery, Miller said.
Records show Saipov was a commercial truck driver and had also driven for Uber, the ride-hailing company said.
Police and the FBI urged members of the public to give them any photos or video that could help. The attack echoed a strategy that the Islamic State group has been suggesting to its followers.
Police said the attacker rented the truck at about 2 p.m. at a New Jersey Home Depot and then went into New York City, entering the bike path about an hour later and speeding toward the World Trade Center, the site of the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history.
He barreled along the bike path in the truck for the equivalent of about 14 blocks before slamming into a small yellow school bus.
Video shot by bystanders showed Saipov walking through traffic wielding what looked like two handguns, but which police later said were a paintball gun and a pellet gun. Police officer Ryan Nash shot Saipov when he wouldn’t drop the weapons, officials said.
President Donald Trump railed against the Islamic State and declared “enough!” and “NOT IN THE U.S.A.!”
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, called Tuesday’s carnage a “lone wolf” attack and said there was no evidence to suggest it was part of a wider plot.
“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,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, also a Democrat.
With files from the Associated Press
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