City and federal investigators say an active crime scene remains in place following Tuesday's terror attack in Lower Manhattan that left eight people dead and at least 12 others wounded.
At a press conference at 1 Police Plaza on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Gov. Andrew Cuomo and NYPD brass, urging New Yorkers to be patient and strong as details of the investigation come to light.
The NYPD identified all eight of the victims killed in the attack Wednesday afternoon.
Five Argentinian citizens killed in the attack had already been identified by the Argentine foreign ministry. They said Hernán Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Damián Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij, and Hernán Ferruchi were in New York City celebrating the 30th anniversary of their graduation from high school.
Another victim was identified by police as 31-year-old Anne Laure Decadt, a Belgian citizen.
The two other victims were 23-year-old Nicholas Cleves of Manhattan and 32-year-old Darren Drake of New Jersey.
Law enforcement officials say the suspect, 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, was never the subject of any prior NYPD or FBI investigation.
They say he was planning the attack for weeks and that he followed an Islamic State manual published online.
Police say they also found notes in the truck used in the attack written in Arabic that read "ISIS will endure forever."
Investigators on Wednesday cordoned off an apartment building in a Patterson, New Jersey neighborhood where they believe Saipov lived with his wife and two children.
Investigators say he drove a rented Home Depot truck into the bike path at West and Houston Streets around 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Officials say Saipov was from Tampa and rented the vehicle about an hour before the attack at a Home Depot in New Jersey.
Police rushed to the Passaic store and found a mini-van with Florida tags parked there.
Police say Saipov drove the rental truck into a crowd of pedestrians and bicyclists before colliding with a school bus near Stuyvesant High School.
He was shot in the abdomen by NYPD officer Ryan Nash, a five-year veteran, after jumping out of the truck with what turned out to be a paint ball gun and a BB gun and shouting "Allahu Akbar!,'' or "God is great'' in Arabic, officials said.
Saipov remains in police custody at Bellevue Hospital. Federal prosecutors are expected to announce terrorism charges against Saipov at a 5:45 p.m. press conference.
Nine others remain hospitalized. Four are in critical condition. Their injuries range from trauma to full amputations.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said two staff members and two students were injured when the truck hit the school bus.
One of the students was in critical condition as of Tuesday night.
Officials have not released the students' ages.
"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 de Blasio.
New York and other cities around the globe have been on high alert against attacks by extremists in vehicles. The Islamic State has been exhorting its followers to mow down people, and England, France and Germany have all seen deadly vehicle attacks in recent months and years.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo called it a "lone wolf'' attack and said there was no evidence to suggest it was part of a wider plot.
Speaking with NY1 Wednesday morning, Cuomo urged New Yorkers to not let the terror act deter them from carrying on with their everyday lives."
"We lost eight lives, and it was horrendous and it was terrible and we cried, but ultimately, they failed. They did not instill terror. They did not disrupt. There was not mayhem. New York is New York. We’re stronger, better and stronger than they are. These are depraved cowards, and we don’t react to depraved cowards," Cuomo said.
Police Commissioner James O'Neill said a statement the driver made as he got out of the truck and the method of attack led police to conclude it was a terrorist act.
A U.S. official familiar with the investigation into what happened says Saipov is from Uzbekistan and came to the U.S. legally in 2010.
Records show Saipov was a commercial truck driver who formed a pair of businesses in Ohio after moving to the U.S. The first business, Sayf Motors Inc., used the address of a family friend near Cincinnati with whom Saipov had stayed for a couple of weeks after his arrival in the country. The second, Bright Auto LLC, used an address near Cleveland.
A trucking industry website listed Saipov at a Paterson, New Jersey, address that authorities were searching Tuesday night. Court records related to trucking-related infractions list Saipov with addresses in Paterson and the Cleveland suburbs.
The family friend with whom Saipov stayed in Ohio, Dilnoza Abdusamatova, told The Cincinnati Enquirer that Saipov was "really calm'' and worked hard.
"He always used to work,'' Abdusamatova said. "He wouldn't go to parties or anything. He only used to come home and rest and leave and go back to work.''
NYPD activity due to the attack has closed some Manhattan streets.
As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, the southbound span of the West Side Highway remains closed between 23rd Street and Murray Street.
Southbound lanes have reopened.
MTA officials said the attack and investigation are not affecting the subways.
Police are asking people to avoid the area where the attack happened.
On Twitter, President Trump called it "another attack by a very sick and deranged person'' and declared, "NOT IN THE U.S.A.''
He followed up Wednesday morning with a tweet slamming New York's senior senator.
He tweeted, "The terrorist came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based."
Schumer responded by tweeting, "I guess it's not too soon to politicize a tragedy."
De Blasio came to Schumer's defense, tweeting, "@SenSchumer secured the funds to protect NYC after 9/11. No one has done more to keep us safe. POTUS should unify us, not politicize tragedy."
While police did not specifically blame the Islamic State for the New York bloodshed, Trump railed against the extremist group, tweeting, "We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!''
At least two covered-over bodies could be seen lying on the path of the attack, and the front end of the pickup was smashed in, as was the side of the school bus.
Tom Gay, a school photographer, heard people saying there was an accident and went down to West Street, where a woman came around the corner shouting, "He has a gun! He has a gun!''
Gay said he stuck his head around the corner and saw a slender man in a blue track suit running on West Street holding a gun. He said there was a heavyset man pursuing him.
He said he heard five or six shots, and the man in the tracksuit fell to the ground, gun still raised in the air. He said a man came over and kicked the gun out of his hand.
Farina said trauma counselors will be provided in the schools Wednesday.
A Home Depot Inc. spokesman said the company, based in Atlanta, was "fully cooperating'' with law enforcement in the truck attack investigation.
The ride-hailing service Uber confirmed late Tuesday night that Saipov was one if its drivers. The company said he passed a background check and had been actively driving on the platform for more than six months. He has since been banned from the Uber app.
"We are horrified by this senseless act of violence," the company said in a statement. "Our hearts are with the victims and their families. We have reached out to law enforcement to provide our assistance."
The FBI and NYPD are asking for any help with the investigation into the terror attack.
People are asked to share any images or videos at fbi.gov/nyctribeca.
If you have any additional information, you are asked to call 800-2255-324, or the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577- 8477, or for Spanish at 1-888-577-4782.
