Trump orders 'extreme vetting' as he calls for tighter border control

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed to defeat the Islamic State group after a terrorist attack in New York killed eight people.

"In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following closely. We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere, Enough!" he said.

A man driving a rented pickup truck plowed into pedestrians near the World Trade Center in New York on Tuesday, killing eight people and wounding dozens.

European allies have condemned the attack. "Together we will defeat the evil of terrorism," said British Prime Minister Theresa May. French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: "Our fight for freedom unites us more than ever."

The Kremlin on Wednesday also sent condolences to the US over the attack, calling it "tragic and inhumane".

The driver identified by officials as an immigrant from Uzbekistan was in critical condition but expected to survive after a police officer shot him in the abdomen.

Television footage showed the mangled wreckage of the truck, bicycles crushed to smithereens and bodies wrapped in sheets and lying on the ground.

Trump also said he has ordered to step up an "extreme vetting program", without specifying which program he was referring to.

He has repeatedly called for tighter border control and visa policies to keep out those deemed dangerous to US national security.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly described extreme vetting during a media interview on Monday, saying: "Extreme vetting is, we simply interview people and have to satisfy ourselves that the person we are talking to is indeed the person who they claim."

"If we can't verify, I don't think we should let them into the country," Kelly said.

Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader in the House of Representatives urged fellow politicians to be "not reckless and rash".

Investigators worked through the night to determine what led the truck driver to plow down people, authorities said. They urged members of the public to give them any photos or video that could help.

The victims reflected a city that is a melting pot and a magnet for visitors. Five of those killed were from Argentina and were celebrating the 30th anniversary of a school graduation and one of the dead was from Belgium, according to officials in those countries. The injured included students and staffers on a school bus that the driver rammed.

Officials who were not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity identified the slight, bearded attacker as Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old who went to the US legally in 2010. He has a Florida driver's license but may have been staying in New Jersey, they said.

Records show Saipov was a commercial truck driver who formed a pair of businesses in Ohio. He had also driven for Uber, the ride-hailing company said.

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has sent his condolences families of the victims and said his government was ready to do everything it could to help investigate the attack.

Xinhua - Ap - Reuters - Afp

(China Daily 11/02/2017 page12)