The terror group says that the man who killed eight people and injured 12 is their "soldier." However, IS has been known to claim attacks to which it has no direct link, such as last year's deadly shooting in Orlando.
Image: picture-alliance/New York Daily News/J. Keivom
Advertisement
"Islamic State" (IS) terrorists said on Thursday that the man who killed eight people in a truck rampage was a "soldier" of their "caliphate." However, IS routinely makes similar claims with little to no evidence of direct involvement.
"One of the soldiers of the Islamic State attacked a number of crusaders on a street in New York City," said the group's al-Naba weekly newspaper, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
Trucks: New weapon of choice for terrorists
Tuesday's terror attack in New York was the latest in a deadly trend that began less than 16 months ago in France. The gruesome terror attack after a Bastille Day celebration in Nice marked the beginning of a new era.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
Nice - Bastille Day (July 14) 2016
A new era of terror appears to have been ushered in when a huge truck plowed through masses of people along a beachfront promenade in the French city of Nice. Some 86 people were killed and at least 300 injured in the carnage. Police said the attacker was raised in Tunisia but moved to France in 2005. He was shot dead by police at the scene of the attack.
Image: Reuters/E. Gaillard
Berlin - December 2016
A truck attack on a Christmas market left 12 dead and 48 injured a week before Christmas. Police said an 'Islamic State' militant hijacked the truck driven by Polish driver Lukasz Urban who tried to alter the direction of the truck, saving lives as he sat in the passenger seat. Urban was killed by the attacker who fled the scene but was shot dead four days later.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Stockholm - April 2017
The back end of a delivery truck was left sticking out from the corner of a department store in downtown Stockholm as police investigators examined the site; 5 people were killed and 14 injured. Police soon arrested a suspect. Appearing in court two days later his lawyer Johan Eriksson told the court that the man "admits to a terrorist crime." He claimed to be an IS supporter.
Image: Reuters/D. Armada
London Bridge attack - June 2017
London endured a trio of truck attacks in 2017 that have left 18 dead and 100 injured. The deadliest attack occured June 3 on London Bridge and the nearby Borough Market, leaving 11 dead and 50 injured. The other vehicle attacks occurred March 22 and June 19; the former left six dead and at least 40 injured, while the latter left one person dead and 10 injured.
Image: Reuters/S. Wermuth
Charlottesville, VA - August 2017
In a bizarre twist a white supremacist took a page from Islamist militants and turned his vehicle into a weapon, plowing into a crowd of people at an anti-fascism rally, which left one person dead and at least 19 injured. Police charged a 20-year-old man with second-degree murder. He was photographed at the rally with Vanguard America, a white supremacist group.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/The Daily Progress/AP/R.M. Kelly
Barcelona - August 2017
A van was used to run down pedestrians on the city's Las Ramblas street; 17 people were killed and at least 100 injured. Several hours later, 75 miles down the coast, a car slammed into a group of people in the town of Cambrils, killing one and injuring five. There were five people in the attack vehicle and police killed all of them. Police confirmed that the two attacks were connected.
Image: Imago/E-Press Photo.com
New York - October 2017
It didn't take long for the suspect to wreak havoc Tuesday in lower Manhattan; eight people were killed and 11 seriously injured. After his truck came to a crashing halt the suspect jumped out with a pellet gun and a paintball gun and shouted "God is great." The 29-year-old suspect was shot by police and taken into custody.
Image: Reuters/A. Kelly
7 images1 | 7
The suspect, an immigrant from Uzbekistan, killed eight people and injured 12 others in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday when he plowed a rented truck into a bike path near the Hudson River. Most of his victims were tourists, including five Argentine men who had come to New York to celebrate their 30th graduation anniversary.
Doubtful claims
Whether or not the 29-year-old assailant was in direct contact with IS militants remains to be seen. The group has often taken credit for the actions of self-radicalized attackers, such as Omar Mateen — the man who killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June 2016.
The suspect in the attack was charged with terrorism offenses in federal court on Wednesday. He came to the US in 2010 and worked as an Uber driver before the attack. Acquaintances have told the press that he did not seem to be a particularly observant Muslim until recently.
The assailant told authorities that he became radicalized by watching IS propaganda videos online.
Islamist terror attacks in the US: Eric Rosand (Brookings Institute) speaks to DW
