Tuesday afternoon near the World Trade Center, a Home Depot truck entered a bike path, killing eight and injuring eleven city-goers in Manhattan. Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, a 29 year old from New Jersey, was armed with a pellet gun and a paintball gun when he carried out the planned attack. Immediately following the incident, the suspect was shot in the abdomen by a responding officer and taken to a nearby hospital. While investigating the scene, police found a note claiming his loyalty to ISIS. Officials said the event is being investigated as terrorism.

Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov was born in Uzbekistan, and moved to the US in 2010. Law enforcement sources said Saipov most recently lived in New Jersey. Neighbors in Paterson, a New Jersey city of 140,000 northeast of New York City, said he lived there recently, CNN reports.

Mayor Bill De Blasio, Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Police Commissioner of New York City James P. O’Neill addressed inquiring press and a stunned nation two hours after the attack. O’Neill opened with a statement that was something New Yorkers hoped they would never hear again;” This is a tragedy of great magnitude.” De Blasio countered the sorrow with a message of hope, however. “This action was intended to break our spirit, but we also know New Yorkers are strong, New Yorkers are resilient, and our spirit will never be moved by an act of violence and an act meant to intimidate us.”  Cuomo informed the media that there was no evidence at the time to support a wider plot of scheme.

President Trump took to Twitter to respond to the attack, tweeting that same day “In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!” He once again condemned the terror ISIS brings to the US, saying “We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!” On November 1st, Trump’s anger radiated through this short but effective tweet: “NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!” Trump spoke with the media on Nov. 1, talking about the attack. When a reporter asked whether Saipov should be sent to Guantanamo Bay, Trump replied, “I would certainly consider that, yes. Send him to Gitmo. I would certainly consider that.”, the Washington Post reports.

In court papers filed on Thursday, federal authorities said that Sayfullo Saipov told the FBI that he began planning his attack a year ago, though he settled on using a truck as a weapon only two months prior,  the Washington Post reports. Saipov told investigators he was inspired by Islamic State videos, in particular one showing ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a federal criminal complaint states. He wanted to do a truck attack to inflict maximum damage against civilians” and that he specifically chose to strike on Halloween “because he believed there would be more civilians on the street for the holiday,” CNN states.

The court proceedings are far from over for this incident, and neither is the grief and sorrow that Americans face. Those affected by this violence, however, are just as De Blasio put it – “New Yorkers are strong, New Yorkers are resilient, and our spirit will never be moved by an act of violence and an act meant to intimidate us.” American spirit can withstand even the most trying times, and this event is no different. We, as a nation, will grieve and mourn over these lost lives, but in time, America will once again remain strong and united in the face of terror.