(Xinhua)    10:32, November 01, 2017

Police officers stand guard near the site of an attack in lower Manhattan in New York, the United States, on Oct. 31, 2017. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called on Tuesday a truck attack near the World Trade Center "an act of terror," in which eight people were killed and a dozen more injured. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

NEW YORK, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Eight people were killed and a dozen more injured after a truck plowed into pedestrians near the World Trade Center in New York City, the mayor said on Tuesday.

Based on the information authorities had at the moment, the incident was "a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference.

Speaking at the conference alongside with the mayor, New York City Police Commissioner James O' Neil said the suspect was a 29-year-old man who was not from New York.

At 3:05 p.m., a male driving a rented Home Depot pickup truck entered the West Side Highway bicycle path at Houston Street, according to O' Neil. He said the man began driving southbound, striking a number of pedestrians and bicyclists along the route.

At Chambers Street, the truck collided with a school bus, injuring two adults and two children, according to the police.

After the collision, the driver exited the vehicle, holding up a paintball gun and a pellet gun. He was shot in the stomach by a police officer but survived and arrested. He was then sent to a hospital. 

Reports said that the driver shouted "Allahu Akbar," which means "God is great" in Arabic.

O'Neil was asked to confirm whether the driver made such statement at the press conference. He said that the driver "did make a statement when he exited the vehicle" although he declined to elaborate on it.