NYC Mayor de Blasio 'This Was an Act of Terror'

10/31/2017 3:47 PM PDT

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio Says 'This Was an Act of Terror'

Breaking News

The man who mowed down pedestrians and cyclists in Lower Manhattan was a terrorist and a coward.

That's how NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio described the suspect, who NYPD apprehended Tuesday at the scene. Hizzoner and NYPD Commissioner James P. O'Neill discussed the horrific event that unfolded on a busy bike path in lower Manhattan.

O'Neill said the suspect, now identified as 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, had 2 weapons -- apparently a paintball gun and a pellet gun. He said an officer confronted Saipov and shot him in the abdomen ... he survived and was taken to a hospital. 

Eight people were killed -- 6 at the crime scene, and 2 more passed away at a hospital.