New Yorkers undeterred by attack
Eight people killed, 11 injured after driver ploughs into crowd on bike path in Manhattan
NEW YORK Thousands of merrymakers, many in elaborate Halloween costumes, paraded through Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, undeterred by the attack that unfolded hours earlier when a truck driver mowed down dozens of people on a bike path a few blocks away.
Eight people were killed and 11 people injured when the suspect, identified as Uzbekistan citizen Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, raced down a cycling path in an exclusive neighbourhood of Lower Manhattan's West Side, Reuters reported.
Five of the eight killed were Argentinians, part of a group visiting New York.
Brussels said a Belgian woman on a trip with her mother and sister was killed.
Among those injured included an Argentinian and three Belgians.
Revellers who joined the 44th annual Village Halloween Parade said they were painfully aware that eight people were killed in what authorities say was an act of terrorism, but carried on with the festivities to show fortitude and solidarity with the victims.
Said 60-year old Michael Spain: "As sobering as it is, you still have to come out and enjoy stuff like this - or (the terrorists) win."
Hundreds of uniformed police officers maintained a steady presence throughout the mile-long route of the parade.
"Out of an abundance of caution, you will see an increase of NYPD personnel throughout NYC, including the Halloween Parade," the New York City Police Department said on Twitter.
A few hours earlier, the scene was gruesome. Bodies lay strewn on the ground.
Mr Tom Kendrick, 36, a lawyer, told The New York Times that he was jogging north of Chambers Street when he began noticing the mayhem on the bike path.
He saw a battered body and bicycle in the bushes.
Farther along he found three bodies close together, also battered cyclists.
"I approached to see if I could help, and they did not need help - they appeared to be dead," Mr Kendrick said.
"They were bloody and unconscious, with some limbs hanging," he added.
The attacker struck in Tribeca, one of the city's most upscale neighbourhoods.
A witness who gave his name only as Frank told local television channel NY1: "When the cops shot (the suspect), everybody started running away and it got a little bit crazy right there.
"When I tried to look again, the guy was already down."
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