NYC 'terror' attack leaves 8 dead, several injured

At least eight people are dead after a driver barreled into a bike path and crashed a rental pickup truck into a crowd in Lower Manhattan Tuesday afternoon, shouting "Allahu Akbar," law enforcement sources tell Fox News and The Associated Press.

Another 11 people were injured, officials said. The 29-year-old driver, possibly a Middle Eastern man with a beard, was shot by police and taken into custody, law enforcement sources told Fox News. The suspect remains hospitalized.

The NYPD is responding to reports of a shooting in Lower Manhattan Tuesday, a few blocks from the World Trade Center Memorial.  (New York Police Department)

Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking at a press conference Tuesday evening, called the incident "an act of terror."

"This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians," de Blasio said.

Governor Andrew Cuomo referred to the incident as a "lone wolf" attack, and added that at this point in the investigation, there is no evidence to suggest that there was a wider plot.

Around the globe, cities have been on high alert regarding vehicle attacks. The Islamic State has been encouraging its followers to mow down people, and England, France and Germany have all seen deadly vehicle attacks in recent months and years.

FBI officials confirmed to Fox News that they have agents responding to the situation "with NYPD." A bomb squad was also on scene examining a vehicle. 

Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke said in a statement that "DHS and its law enforcement partners remain vigilant and committed to safeguarding the American people."

Following the incident in New York, President Trump tweeted "looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!"

Police said the truck entered the bike path on West Street a few blocks from the new World Trade Center -- the site of the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history -- and plowed into several people. The driver jumped out of his rental truck carrying what turned out to be two fake handguns.

The truck also slammed into a short yellow school bus, injuring two adults and two children.

One witness who passed the scene while on the West Side Highway said he saw several people bleeding on the ground and a truck hit several people.

Fox News' Jake Gibson and Rick Leventhal and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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