Israeli leaders have issued solidarity statements following Tuesday’s terrorist attack in New York City in which eight people were killed and many more injured.
“To President [Donald] Trump, Governor [Andrew] Cuomo and Mayor [Bill] de Blasio: We stand with our friends in New York and all Americans following yet another horrible Islamist terror attack,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a tweet. He added, “We pray for the victims and their families. Together we will defeat this scourge.”
During an interview on CNN, Governor Cuomo noted that he had spoken with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the phone after the attack.
A 29-year-old Uzbek national drove a rented pickup truck southbound on the West Side bicycle path near the World Trade Center, striking bicyclists and pedestrians. The suspect, who was shot by police and arrested moments after the rampage, left a note saying he carried out the attack in the name of the terrorist group ISIS.
The suspect, identified as Sayfullo Saipov, was interviewed by federal agents in 2015, having been listed as a point of contact for two terror suspects who subsequently disappeared.
Among the victims were five Argentinian men, one of whom was a Jewish businessman, Ariel Erlij. They were part of a group of eight friends celebrating the 30th anniversary of their high school graduation.
Other Israeli leaders joined the Prime Minister in expressing their solidarity with the victims and the state of New York.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of New York. Israel and the USA stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight against terror.”
Danny Danon, Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, conveyed in a message to his American counterpart, Nikki Haley, that “Just as the US has always stood by our side in our times of need, Israel will always stand with America in the fight against terror.” Dannon added: We send our condolences to the families of those killed and we wish a speedy recovery to those injured.”
The Israeli Embassy in Washington, DC echoed their sentiments, “Israel stands with the people of New York City today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the attack and their families,” they said on social media.
Following a truck ramming terror attack in Nice, France in July 2016, one ISIS supporter wrote on the social messaging platform Telegram, “Killing by ramming using civilian cars and trucks is an idea born from the Maqdisi [Palestinian] mind, which has an innovative nature of thinking up jihad tactics.”
[Photo: CBS New York / YouTube]