The front page of Wednesday’s Washington Post referred to the vehicle attack that claimed 8 lives in Manhattan as a “possible terror attack,” despite authorities classifying the incident as an act of terrorism hours after the tragedy.
Sayfullo Saipov, who left a note in his vehicle pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, used a rented pickup truck to mow down cyclists and pedestrians on the West Side Highway bike path Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 8 and wounding 15.
WaPo: No evidence, but DEFINITE Trump collusion with Russia.
Conclusive evidence, but only ‘POSSIBLE’ terror attack yesterday. pic.twitter.com/tNQGsHqVCu
— Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) November 1, 2017
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, quickly referred to the massacre as a “an act of terror” during a press conference held roughly two hours after the incident.
“It’s a very painful day in our city. A horrible tragedy on the West Side,” DeBlasio said. “Let me be clear that based on the information we have at this moment this was an act of terror and a particularly cowardly act of terror, aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives.”
WATCH:
Saipov, who immigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan in 2010, reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” after exiting his vehicle and opening fire on bystanders with a pellet gun and a paintball gun. A NYPD officer shot Saipov in the abdomen and apprehended him.
The terrorist has also been linked to ISIS related social media accounts, a law enforcement official told CNN. Saipov was somewhat cooperative when he was interviewed by NYPD and FBI officials Tuesday night, the official added.
An investigation by the F.B.I., the Department of Homeland Security and the NYPD recently led to the indictment of five Uzbekistan immigrants charged with providing material support to ISIS. It’s unclear whether Saipov was connected to that investigation, but authorities said he was on their radar prior to the attack.
WATCH: THE LATEST ON THE NYC ATTACK
Follow Jack on Twitter
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.