A terrorist act struck New York City the day before yesterday: a pick-up truck hit several people on a cycle path in Manhattan and plowed into a school bus. Then the driver came out of the vehicle and began to aim handguns at people. The police are saying these were a paintball gun and a pellet gun, the BBC reports.
This incident claimed the life of eight people, including five Argentines and one Belgian. Eleven people were injured. The police wounded the attacker who is in a critical condition now. The suspect, named by media as the 29-year-old Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Saipov, reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”) as he left the truck. Besides, investigators found some notes in Arabic which indicate the involvement of Islamic State, The New York Times reports.
The police are saying they consider the running-down accident as an act of terrorism. US President Donald Trump is of the same opinion. “We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!” the White House occupant tweeted. “My thoughts, condolences, and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack.” “I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!” Trump emphasized.
“Trump must have meant the US government programs on controlling people of other nationalities as a counterbalance to his controversial entry ban which has only affected a small number of Muslim countries,” The Washington Post comments.
The Day requested the London-based Ukrainian journalist Bohdan TSIUPYN to comment on the terrorist act in New York and say what the world leaders must do to overcome terrorism.
“THE WHOLE SOCIETY MUST TAKE PART IN DEFENDING ITSELF”
“I can speak as a journalist who has given coverage to a number of terrorist acts in the past few years. This incident in New York confirms the opinion that the problem of terrorism cannot be resolved by simple and even tough methods.
“What the recently elected US President Donald Trump is saying shows that it is impossible to fully guarantee safety from terrorism by tough measures on the border or by bans. Terrorism has too many sources and causes. It may be based abroad – the forces that bring terror to a country, the US in this case, from outside.
“Staying in London, where a series of very different terrorist attacks have occurred in the past year alone, I think it is just one more confirmation that it is necessary to address the problems in which terrorism is rooted rather than fully rely on some restrictive or prohibitory actions, although they are also needed.
“Let me recall the statement of France’s President Emmanuel Macron who also spoke of this problem during his election campaign and after being elected. What is more, the state of emergency is still in force in France after a number of ghastly terrorist attacks in Paris and Nice.
“The politicians who say they can solve the problem of terrorism by one-off or very harsh measures are misleading us to some extent. This is why people, especially in huge megalopolises, such as London, New York, Paris, etc., must above all remember this because nobody can get a guaranteed protection from terrorism now.
“The restrictive and safety measures I have witnessed in London work very well. You get out of an underground or railway station and hear a warning to passengers every 10-15 minutes: “Exercise caution, please. If you see people who behave strangely or carry suspicious packages, inform the police.” Obviously, we should not exclusively rely on the uniformed services – police and security forces, – although they are also important. The whole society must react to this and take part in defending itself.
“This raises questions about Ukraine, about the things that have happened in our country lately, such as ambush murders, recent explosions and injury of an MP, murders of journalists, intelligence and security officers.
“The point is that nobody is protected from the danger of terrorism. Nobody can sit still in the corner, rubbing their hands with a malicious joy and thinking that they are far from this problem. Moreover, terrorism is not a new problem – it can only be greater or lesser. Before the problem of Islamist radicalism and Islamic State had arisen, Britain had, for example, the problem of terror resorted to by the Irish Republican Army. Terrorism is a tragic and sad page in human history, which humankind has experienced for a long time. But there are no easy recipes for the solution of this problem.”
