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Manhattan attack: We must not allow Islamic State to return to US, says Trump

US President Donald Trump decried the Manhattan attack as an act of madness by saying it looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person.

Updated on: Nov 1, 2017, 07:27:04 IST
Agence France-Presse, Washington | By
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America must not let Islamic State (IS) jihadists return to or enter the US after they are beaten overseas, US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, hours after a deadly New York attack.

Emergency crews attend the scene of a vehicle attack on West Street in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday. (Reuters)
Emergency crews attend the scene of a vehicle attack on West Street in Manhattan, New York, on Wednesday. (Reuters)

“We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!” Trump tweeted.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the attack an “act of terror” but authorities have not definitively linked the suspect who was detained afterward to IS.

Eight people were killed and numerous others wounded when the suspect rammed a pickup truck into pedestrians in Lower Manhattan and collided with a school bus, officials said.

The driver was shot in the abdomen by police after jumping out of the truck with what turned out to be a fake gun in each hand and shouting what witnesses said was “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” authorities said. The man underwent surgery and was in critical condition but was expected to survive.

Trump earlier decried the attack as an act of madness.

“In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person,” Trump tweeted. “Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!”

Islamic State has been dealt a string of defeats across Iraq and Syria in recent months, with authorities worried that fleeing foreign fighters might return home.

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