New York attacker leaves trail of death

An injured woman is aided by first responders after a terrorist attack on Tuesday in New York City. BRENDAN McDERMID / REUTERS

A man driving a rented pickup truck barreled down a popular New York City bike path on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least eight people and injuring more than a dozen others in what authorities said was a terrorist attack.

Of the slain, six were pronounced dead at the scene and two others at a nearby hospital, New York Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.

"We condemn the incident and express sympathy and condolences to the injured and families of the victims," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Wednesday. "Terrorism is the common enemy of all people. China is opposed to terrorism of any form and calls for the international community to enhance anti-terrorism cooperation," she said at a daily news conference.

The Foreign Ministry and China's Consulate General in New York considered the incident to be very serious, Hua said, and the consulate general launched an emergency response to verify the details.

"We haven't received reports about any death or injury of Chinese citizens," she said. "We will continue to keep an eye on the incident and provide timely assistance to any Chinese citizens who might be involved."

New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said 11 survivors with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening were taken to hospitals. After hitting people on the bike path, the suspect crashed into a small school bus. Two children and two adults on the bus were among the 11 seriously injured who were hospitalized.

The suspect emerged from his truck after hitting the bus and waved a paintball gun in one hand and a pellet gun in the other.

He was shot in the abdomen by an on-duty city police officer and taken to Bellevue Hospital.

Two law enforcement officials identified the attacker as Sayfullo Saipov, 29. Saipov entered the United States seven years ago from Uzbekistan, abc7news.com reported.

The website said that in addition to an address in Tampa, Florida, Saipov lived in Ohio and most recently in New Jersey.

At around 3:05 pm, the suspect drove along the bike path for about 14 blocks before slamming into the school bus. The pavement was strewn with mangled bicycles and bodies that soon were covered with sheets.

Zhang Ruinan, Zhou Jin, AP and Reuters contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at williamhennely@chinadailyusa.com