NYC terrorist attack: What we know

A van has ploughed into pedestrians and cyclists in Lower Manhattan, killing eight and severely wounding many more.

Details coming out of the city are scant, however we do know the attack occurred on a bike path in Battery Park City near the World Trade Centre site at 3.15pm local time (5.15am AEDT).

The perpetrator, 29-year-old Uzbekistan-born Sayfullo Saipov, was reported to have a rented Home Depot truck, driven onto the bike path on West Street, only a couple of blocks away from the World Trade Centre memorial, and mowed down least 15 people, leaving mangled bicycles behind.

The van first struck a school bus and then continued along the path.

Once the van had crashed Saipov wielded two fake guns and ran through the traffic, before being shot in the stomach by police.

He is now in hospital.

According to The Guardian, security at airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems around New York state has been intensified, with additional officers patrolling large gatherings including the city Halloween parade.

Reports Saipov has connections to Isis remain unconfirmed, with many news sources claiming he had left a note in the car addressing the connection. However this is yet to be confirmed by police.

At the time of writing, five of the eight people killed in the attack were part of the same group of school friends who had travelled to New York from Argentina to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their graduation.

Another member of the group remains in hospital.

An official statement from the Argentina foreign ministry says five Argentinians are among the eight killed in New York.

They are named as:

• Hernán Diego Mendoza
• Diego Enrique Angelini
• Alejandro Damián Pagnucco
• Ariel Erlij
• Hernán Ferruchi

The justice department has issued a statement on the attack:

The New York field office of the FBI, the NYPD and other members of the joint terrorism taskforce are investigating this terrorist attack in the heart of New York city.

The attorney general was briefed by Director Wray this afternoon.

The department of justice will work with its partners in law enforcement and the intelligence community to thoroughly investigate this matter.

Our deepest condolences go out to the victims of this vicious terrorist attack and our hearts are with all the people of New York.

Many world leaders have already condemned the attack via Twitter and public statements, with US Preseident Donald Trump posting these Tweets:

President Barack Obama posted:

To commemorate the attack, the spire of 1 World Trade Center is lit up tonight in red, white and blue.