Driver Had Been Planning Attack in Manhattan for Weeks, Police Say - The New York Times

"The driver who sped down a crowded bike path in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring 11, had been planning the attack for weeks and appeared to have connections to people who were the subjects of terrorism investigations, police officials said on Wednesday.



As counterterrorism investigators drilled into whether the attacker, identified by officials as Sayfullo Saipov, had meaningful ties to terrorist organizations, it also became clear that some of those close to the attacker had feared for years that he was heading down the path of extremism.



Mr. Saipov, 29, rented a pickup truck from a Home Depot in New Jersey before driving onto a bike path, crashing into a school bus, jumping out with a pellet gun and paintball gun and shouting “Allahu akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” the authorities said. Near the truck was a handwritten note with a few lines of Arabic indicating allegiance to the Islamic State, law enforcement officials said.



As investigators looked into Mr. Saipov’s history, they discovered that he had been on the radar of federal authorities. Law enforcement officials said Mr. Saipov, who is from Uzbekistan, had come to the federal authorities’ attention after coming into contact with an Uzbek who was under investigation by terrorism investigators in New York..."



Driver Had Been Planning Attack in Manhattan for Weeks, Police Say - The New York Times