Modi condemns New York truck attack; extends thoughts to victims, families

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condemned the suspected terror attack in the New York City and extended his prayers and thoughts to the family of the victims.

"Strongly condemn the terror attack in New York City. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with those injured (sic)," the Prime Minister Tweeted.

Earlier on Tuesday, the 29-year-old, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, deliberately drove into bicyclists and pedestrians on a bike path in Lower Manhattan, killing at least eight people and injuring many.

He also left a note, hand-written in a foreign language, possibly Arabic, in the rental truck.

"Based on information we have at this moment, this was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians," the New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference.

According to the NBC News, the attacker was an Uzbek national, who came to the US in 2010 and has been living in Florida for the past seven years.

Meanwhile, a friend of the suspect who said he met Saipov five years ago when they both lived in Florida said, "he is no terrorist."

"He was a very happy guy," said Kobiljon Matkarov, who added that Saipov was married with kids and worked as a truck driver. "He liked the US."

A senior law enforcement official said that the Federal authorities were treating the incident as a terrorist attack.

"He jumped out of the truck with a pellet gun, yelled, 'Allahu Akbar,' and the First Precinct lit him up," a law enforcement official said.

Officials said it was the deadliest terrorist attack in New York City since 9/11.