New York City mayor assures residents NYPD "out in very strong numbers"
A day after the New York City terror attack, Mayor Bill de Blasio is assuring the city that a "huge" police presence out to help keep residents safe.
"We have the biggest counterterrorism force of any police force in the nation. It's out in very strong numbers so people can see it. It's a deterrent force," de Blasio said Wednesday on "CBS This Morning." "We are, in this city, very comfortable putting out large numbers of police officers with heavy gear, with heavy weapons to send the message: don't try anything here. God forbid something happens like this, we can respond quickly."
Eight people were killed in the attack, including six foreign visitors. The suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, bragged to police from his hospital bed about what he did. A note found in his rented truck made reference to ISIS.
Investigators say Saipov deliberately steered the rented truck into a crowd of pedestrians and bicyclists on a downtown Manhattan bike path. The attack left a trail of victims nearly one mile long along the Hudson River. It ended when the truck ran into a school bus. But that was an accident, a source said, adding that the suspect wanted to continue down the road.
Police shot and captured the 29-year-old at the scene.
"What this instance points out once again is we need everyone to be in involved in helping us fight terror," de Blasio said.
Saipov came to the U.S. in 2010 from Uzbekistan, a predominantly Muslim former Soviet Republic, and obtained legal permanent residency. His last official address was in Tampa, Florida. He has also lived in Ohio, and most recently New Jersey.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the incident reflected an "evolution of the jihad tactics."
"It's no longer geographically isolated. The internet has given them a global platform and global training ground. They have a simple play. Rent car, rent a truck, create mayhem and try to disrupt society. And that's what yesterday was. A depraved coward, in my opinion, rented a truck and we lost eight people, and that's terrible, but they were not successful. They did not disrupt New York City. They did not disrupt New York state," Cuomo told "CBS This Morning" Wednesday.
The night of the attack, New Yorkers went ahead with the city's annual Halloween parade.
"I talked to a lot of them. I asked them how they were feeling, and people said we're not going to give in. We're not going to change because of terrorists who are trying to change our way of life. I was inspired by it," de Blasio said.
"New Yorkers showed up. And [the suspect] did not instill terror, so they failed," Cuomo said.
The attack is the latest in a string of vehicle terror attacks. The Counter Extremism Project reports there have been at least 34 involving vehicles since 2006. Such attacks this year in Barcelona, London and Stockholm killed at least 29 people.
De Blasio said the city is constantly reassessing where physical barriers are placed throughout the city to prevent such attacks, and he also urged people to report any suspicious happenings.
"A lot of times the attacks that have been stopped, which we don't talk about in some cases, were based on everyday people who went to a police officer and shared information. And that could be the key in any of these cases. So we got to say to people, don't hesitate. If you think something might be suspicious, share it with the authorities because it could make a huge difference," de Blasio said.