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.
The suspected terrorist accused of ramming a rented truck through a crowd of bicyclists and pedestrians in New York has been identified as an Uber driver from Uzbekistan with ties to Florida and New Jersey.
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.
The Florida driving licence of Sayfullo Saipov, prime suspect crushing at least 8 people to death by ramming a rented pick-up truck into a New York bike and pedestrian path on October 31, 2017. — Twitter
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.
FIRST PICTURE of NYC terror suspect during attack.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 31, 2017
He is Sayfullo Saipov, 29, from Tampa, Florida & now in custody. pic.twitter.com/ZhtS43Iq4D
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!"
