MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Terrorist attack in Manhattan kills five Argentine tourists
The vacationers spent the brisk, sunny afternoon pedaling along the Hudson River when 29-year-old suspect Sayfullo Saipov stormed toward them in a flatbed truck. 
The merciless driver’s rampage left several bloodied victims and mangled bicycles in his wake. 
The group posed for a photo minutes before boarding their flight according to La Nacion. All of them were sporting “Libre” shirts, the Spanish word for free. Five of those killed after a terrorist plowed a truck through a Manhattan bike path in New York were Argentine high school pals celebrating three decades of friendship. The Argentine government identified the slain victims as Hernán Mendoza, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernan Ferruchi.
Erlij was an established businessman crafting steel near his Rosario hometown, while Ferruchi was an architect. All of them were visiting New York City for what would be a fateful 30-year reunion.
The vacationers spent the brisk, sunny afternoon pedaling along the Hudson River when 29-year-old suspect Sayfullo Saipov stormed toward them in a rented Home Depot flatbed truck. The merciless driver’s rampage left several bloodied victims and mangled bicycles in his wake.
A sixth Argentine with the group, Martin Marro, suffered critical injuries to his neck during the attack and is recovering at a lower Manhattan hospital, according to consulate and police sources.
The Argentine pals knew each other from a Rosario grade school about 350 kilometers northwest of Bueno Aires, according to Argentina’s Foreign Ministry.
The group posed for a photo minutes before boarding their flight from the local airport, according to Argentine paper La Nacion. All of them were sporting “Libre” shirts, the Spanish word for free.
Erlij was unable to join them on the first flight, the paper reported. He left the next day. He died at 4 p.m. after the attack, police sources said.
Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders said one person from the European nation had died and three more were hurt in the attack. The attack claimed eight victims, with about a dozen more injured.
The suspect ended his rampage after ramming a school bus. The crash sent the driver and at least one special needs student to a nearby hospital, according to police sources. Both have since been released from Bellevue Hospital.
Sources said four teens and a German tourist were also among the injured.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules-
-
-
Read all commentsWhat a dumb cluck Hepatia is! This madman had mown down loads of people and got out of his vehicle before he got shot by a policeman.
Nov 03rd, 2017 - 04:57 pm +4How would the bearing arms have stopped that? It didnt!
The US has failed to control the ownership of guns which is precisely why so many die unnecessarily Do these idiots think life is a Rambo movie, the Hepatia fool apparently does?
Clear ignorance of the actual laws that apply in those states. As in so many other easily researched matters.
Nov 01st, 2017 - 05:17 pm +3Meanwhile, using large vehicles for mass killings seems to be on the rise.
There certainly were and are ways of dealing with kami-kazes [presumably you refer to the US experience during WWII]. But when confronted with evolving threats it's not surprising that countermeasures are imperfect. Even so, according to the studies I've seen, fewer than 15 percent of the kami-kazes actually hit their ship targets. We have no idea of the ratio of today's attempted jihadist hits to actual known events.
Nov 02nd, 2017 - 06:21 pm +3Not sure the WWII experience necessarily relates to the current situation. The Uzbeki didn't take his suicide very effectively.
Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!