In the Wake of the New York Attack, Trump Calls for Stricter Background Checks for Immigrants

The President of the United States announced a few hours after a deadly vehicle attack on citizens in New York that Washington should not allow members of the Islamic State (ISIS) to return to or enter the country. According to a report by France Press on Tuesday (November 9), Donald Trump posted this on his personal Twitter account. Trump wrote, "Enough is enough. We should not allow members of ISIS to enter or return to America after their defeat in the Middle East or elsewhere." Following the arrest of an Uzbek citizen after the deadly vehicle attack on pedestrians and cyclists in New York, which American officials have labeled a "terrorist attack," Trump has called for tightening the process of background checks for immigrants entering the United States. The attack in Manhattan, New York, using a vehicle against pedestrians and cyclists resulted in at least eight deaths and several injuries. Security officials have termed this attack as "terroristic." A source in the Uzbek security service told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the suspect's mother, father, and sister are currently being interrogated. This is the first time since September 11, 2001, that a similar attack has occurred in New York. It is also the first "terroristic" attack using a vehicle on U.S. soil, resembling recent attacks in European cities that have left dozens dead. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, wrote on his Twitter account shortly after the incident: "I have asked the Department of Homeland Security to increase our actions in the existing rigorous background check program. Political correctness is fine, but not for this!" Trump has also described the attacker as a "very sick and dangerous" individual. Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of New York, has called the attack "terroristic," but officials have not yet found evidence linking the arrested suspect to the Islamic State group. In other Twitter posts, Trump described the attack on Tuesday in New York as "cowardly" and stated, "We remember the victims of today’s terrorist attack in New York City and pray for them and their families. My administration will provide full support, including conducting joint investigations with the FBI, to the New York City police force." The New York police stated that the suspect was shot and injured during the attack and arrested. Police officials also stated that the arrested individual, Sayfullo Habibullaevich Saipov, 29, is from Uzbekistan. According to U.S. media reports, this individual entered the country in 2010 (seven years ago). Police officials say the suspect in the attack, Sayfullo Habibullaevich Saipov, is 29 years old and from Uzbekistan. Witnesses at the scene reported that Saipov shouted "Allahu Akbar" after running over people. Security officials currently state that the arrested individual is the only suspect in this attack and that his actions were likely individual and not linked to a group. However, media reports indicate that investigators have found a note left by Saipov in the vehicle, claiming he carried out the attack in the name of the group known as the Islamic State (ISIS). The Mayor of New York stated at a press conference: "This was a cowardly terrorist attack, targeting innocent citizens and people who are going about their lives unaware that someone was going to target them." According to U.S. officials, five Argentine citizens and one Belgian citizen are among the eight victims of the attack, and more than ten others are injured and hospitalized. It has been reported that the injuries of the wounded are serious but under control. The police stated that the vehicle used in the attack was rented and that the attacker had fake guns with him. Although an attack like the one on Tuesday in New York is unprecedented in the United States, similar incidents occurred in European cities last year, including the July attack in Nice, France, which killed 86, the December attack at the Christmas market in Berlin, which killed 12, and the August attack with a vehicle on pedestrians in Barcelona, which claimed 13 lives. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for those attacks. Following the defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, Western officials are deeply concerned about the return of foreign fighters to their countries.