INVESTIGATORS have worked through the night to determine what led a truck driver to carry out a murderous rampage in New York on a riverfront bike path near the World Trade Centre.
The suspect brandished air guns and yelled "God is great" in Arabic as his route of terror ended with a crash, authorities said.
Eight people were killed and 11 seriously injured in a Halloween afternoon attack that the city's mayor called "a particularly cowardly act of terror".
The driver, originally from Uzbekistan, was in critical condition but expected to survive after a police officer shot him in the abdomen.
Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old who came to the US legally in 2010, has a Florida driver's licence but may have been staying in New Jersey, sources said.
A two-mile stretch of road in Manhattan was closed for the investigation.
Authorities also converged on a New Jersey home and a van in a car park at a New Jersey Home Depot store and were scrutinising a note found inside the attacker's rented vehicle.
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.
While police did not specifically blame any group for the strike, President Donald Trump railed against the Islamic State and declared "enough!" and "Not in the U.S.A.!"
The victims reflected a city that is a melting pot and a magnet for visitors.
One of the dead was from Belgium, five were from Argentina and were celebrating the 30th anniversary of a school graduation, according to officials in those countries.
The injured included students and staffers on a school bus that the driver rammed.
"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 mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat.
Records show Saipov was a commercial driver who formed a pair of businesses in Ohio.
He had also driven for Uber, the company said.
An Ohio marriage licence shows a lorry driver with one of Saipov's addresses and his name, spelled slightly differently, married a fellow Uzbek in 2013.
During his time in Fort Myers, Florida, several years ago, Saipov was "a very good person", an acquaintance, Kobiljon Matkarov, told The New York Times.
He said Saipov later moved to New Jersey and began driving for Uber.
San Francisco-based Uber said he started over six months ago.
Police said the attacker rented the vehicle at about 2pm 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 Centre, the site of the deadliest terror attack in US history.
He drove along the bike path for the equivalent of about 14 blocks, or around eight-tenths of a mile, before slamming into a small yellow school bus.
"A person hopped out of the car with two guns and started yelling and screaming," said a 12-year-old student who had just left a nearby school.
"They were yelling 'Allahu Akbar'."
The student, whose mother asked that his name be withheld, said he ran back into the school, where students cried and huddled in a corner.
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.
A police officer shot Saipov when he would not drop the weapons, police said.
The mayhem set off panic in the neighbourhood and left the pavement strewn with mangled bicycles and bodies that were soon covered with sheets.
"I saw a lot of blood over there. A lot of people on the ground," said Chen Yi, an Uber driver.
The note inside the vehicle was handwritten in a foreign language, according to one of the officials who spoke about the document.
Both said its contents were being investigated but supported the belief the act was terrorism.
New York governor 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.
Statements of support and condolences rolled in from around the world.
Uzbekistan president Shavkat Mirziyoyev sent his condolences to the president and the families of the victims, and offered his country's assistance in investigating the attack.
Similar statements were issued by Iran's foreign ministry, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel