A suspect has been taken into custody after a vehicle collision and shooting in Lower Manhattan on Chambers Street, near Stuyvesant High School. A truck drove down the bike path beside the Hudson River before crashing, killing at least eight people. Initial reports of gunshots were mistaken, as the attacker had two fake firearms on him, a BB gun and a paintball gun. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/925443794832646145]] The attacker shouted "Allah Akbar," after stepping out of the truck. He was 29-years-old, and is reportedly in grave physical condition. Mayor Bill de Blasio said: “Based on information we have at this moment, this was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians.” At least fifteen people have been injured. A video below shows some of the damage done to those in the bike lane by the vehicle and shooter. Some viewers may find the content distressing, however: [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/News_Executive/status/925442829647843328]] At the moment, this attack is considered a 'lone wolf', and is not suspected to be related to ISIS or terror organizations abroad. President Trump has responded: [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925474979914887168]]

The tragedy of the successful terrorist attacks on the unsuspecting and innocent citizens that become its victims is overwhelming. And since most of us are not privy to the minutiae of government oversight and protection of our countries, we often don't give much thought to the work that goes on behind the scenes. The fact is, getting this kind of thing done isn't easy, as there are examples of attacks foiled before they have gotten past their preliminary planning stage. One such attack was set to occur in New York City by three men, but thankfully they were shut down by the FBI before they could do any harm. Now that the court proceedings are underway, the government are now free to reveal exactly what it was that they were planning. Canadian citizen Abdulrahman El Bahnasawy, who was only 19 years old, was planning to attack people in Times Square, concert venues, and the subway system, along with two others: Phillipine citizen Russel Salic, 37, and U.S. citizen Talha Haroon, 19. Prosecutors told the court session in New York that the three men wanted to target heavily-populated areas of the city in 2016. El Bahnasawy entered America from Canada to rent a cabin in New Jersey, which he wanted to use as a bomb-making base of operations. He also bought 40 pounds of hydrogen peroxide, batteries, Christmas lights, thermometers and other ingredients commonly used in homemade bombs. Salic financed this unfolding operation, sending over funds from the Phillipines. Haroon met with explosive experts in Pakistan, planning to join El Bahnasawy in the U.S. to carry out the attacks. They all communicated through a messaging app but were caught when they revealed their plans to an undercover agent who was posing as a member of ISIS. El Bahnasawy messaged the above photo of Times Square to the undercover agent with the message: "We seriously need a car bomb at times square. Look at these crowds of people!" His other correspondence included suggestions such as the idea that they should "shoot up concerts cuz they kill a lot of people" and "We will walk in with guns in our hands. That's how the Paris guys did it." Haroon suggested the subway as there would be "women and kids" to target, "when we run out of bullets we let the vests go off". The FBI and the Canadian Mounted Police monitored the men to discern whether they were serious about carrying out the attack. When El Bahnasawy travelled from Canada to New Jersey investigators found and arrested him before things could escalate to real action.

Haroon, who had also messaged the undercover officer ‘New York must fall’ (along with the above photo) was arrested in Pakistan in September 2016 and Salic was arrested in the Philippines in April 2017. They were arrested a few months ago kept under wraps as the FBI and NYPD Counterterrorism Unit sought out co-conspirators, but now it seems the case is closed and the details could be released to the public.

El Bahnasawy pleaded guilty to federal terror charges and is currently in custody, while the other two await extradition from foreign custody to face charges in the U.S.

A man has been arrested for allegedly flying his drone into the 7 World Trade Center for a YouTube video.

Per Daily Mail, 22-year-old Adam Ismail, a self-described "CEO, Crypto Investor, and Videographer/Photographer" crashed his drone into the Manhattan building at approximately 3 pm on Monday, August 2.

In a video posted to his official Instagram account, the vlogger claimed that his $1,200 DJA Air 2s drone smashed into a window panel on the third floor, where it became stuck.

Ismail says he then went to the building to see if he could get his drone back, but the building’s manager and chief engineer informed him that it was unlikely to be returned.

The Texan tourist added that he was later interviewed for six hours by NYPD's Counter-Terrorism cops. After that, he was contacted by the FBI, who also scheduled him for an interview.

In the video above, Ismail testified: "They interview me, ask me a few questions: where am I from, what am I doing, why am I in New York, and just the series of events that took place and everything.

"I've been asked the same questions more than I can count on two hands so they can confirm I’m not BS-ing my story and I'm here to do what I said I was doing.

"Everybody was a good sport. I didn’t give the cops a hard time, and they didn’t give me a hard time. They just had to check that I was doing what I said I was doing."

He added that the operating system of the DJA - which typically doesn't allow pilots to fly their drones in restricted areas - didn't notify him that the area was off-limits.

Daily Mail reports that Ismail was inspired to travel to NYC to film with his drone for a personal travel video by a fountain near the Oculus and the World Trade Center - which was rebuilt after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Meanwhile, New York Daily News reports that Port Authority Police Department issued Ismail with a small summons for violating the city code preventing personal drone use.

Featured Image Credit: Pixabay / Pexels

Tragedy struck Toronto yesterday as 10 people were killed and 15 injured after a rented van swerved across four lanes and hit pedestrians on one of the city's busiest streets. Described as "like nothing anybody had seen before" by a city police officer, the attack has left the capital city of Ontario, Canada, in shock and disbelief, with millions of people across the world expressing their condolences to the bereaved families and others affected on social media. But, with details still scarce today, the question is, what do we actually know so far about the attack that has devastated Canada?

The incident occurred around lunchtime on one of the Toronto's first warm days of the year, with the suspected driver - named on Monday evening as 25-year-old Alek Minassian - heading south on Yonge Street at about 1.30pm local time. Veering the vehicle onto the pavement, the driver began striking down pedestrians, weaving in and out of oncoming traffic for about three kilometres.

Ali Shaker, who was driving near the van at the time, told Canadian broadcast outlet CP24 that the driver appeared to be moving intentionally through the crowd at more than 30 mph, adding: "He just went on the sidewalk. He just started hitting everybody, man. He hit every single person on the sidewalk. Anybody in his way he would hit."

In addition, Witness Phil Zullo told the Canadian Press that he saw people "strewn all over the road" where the incident occurred. "I must have seen about five, six people being resuscitated by bystanders and by ambulance drivers," he stated. "It was awful. Brutal."

After knocking down dozens of innocent pedestrians, the perpetrator allegedly attempted to flee the scene. However, a video captured by a bystander and broadcast on several Canadian outlets, shows that the police eventually surrounded him and a tense standoff ensued.

Heralded for handling the incident without violence, police officer Scott Gilmore has been named by the press as "the officer that didn't shoot". While the details we have so far of the standoff have come only from videos circling on social media, the footage appears to show the lone cop holding fire and shouting at the man to get down to the ground. The driver apparently replies: "Kill me. I have a gun in my pocket...shoot me in the head." In response to his pleas, the officer calmly arrests the suspect without firing any shots.

Multiple news outlets reported the suspect waving a dark object in the direction of police, with some claiming that Minassian was threatening them with a gun. However, police have since confirmed that he did not have a gun, and it remains unclear what exactly he was pointing at the officer.

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When the tragic events hit the news, speculation was rife that the incident may have been a terrorist attack. However, asked if there was any evidence of a connection to international terrorism, Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders stated: "Based on what we have there's nothing that has it to compromise the national security at this time."

Furthermore, a senior national government official claimed that authorities had not turned over the investigation to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, something that many have taken as a sign that investigators believe it unlikely that terrorism was the motive. Nonetheless, Saunders - who confirmed that the incident "appeared to be deliberate" - also stated that the investigation was "far from over" and has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

While we are aware of the rough details of the tragic events that unfolded, the facts of the case are still emerging; this includes details of the identity of the suspected perpetrator who left 10 dead and 15 hospitalised. What we do know far so is that Alek Minassian has been reported to be a 25-year-old student who attended Seneca College in Toronto. Not previously known to the police.

Canadian police are currently questioning the suspected driver of the rental van and the police have stated that he is due to appear in court at 10am local time. In the meantime, Toronto - which has earned itself a reputation as a welcoming, tolerant and safe city - is left to grieve the victims of the devastating attack. An outpouring of grief has come from millions of people around the world, including Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who named the incident "a tragic and senseless attack" and offered his "heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed, and my thoughts for a fast and full recovery to those injured."

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Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families and we can only hope that those responsible are brought to justice soon. If you have any information that may help police, please contact the investigation hotline on 416-808-8750

On March 17, former US soldier James Harris Jackson travelled to New York, where he he stayed at a Manhattan hotel, planning an attack. Three days later, the 28-year-old from Baltimore searched the streets for black men, wearing a long coat to hide a 26-inch Roman-style sword, which he drew upon a 66-year-old man.

He spotted the Timothy Caughman as he collected bottles for recycling from other bins, and stabbed him in the chest and back, leaving him for dead. Caughman managed to make it to a nearby police station despite his wounds, but later died in hospital from his injuries.

Now, nearly a year on from the incident, Jackson has pleaded guilty to the 2017 murder, and the trial has become a landmark case.

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Admitting to killing Caughman, Jackson told police after his arrest that he had travelled to the city to "murder black men," noting that he had chosen his target because he was African-American and "alone on a dark street". In addition to this, he said that it was intended as a "political terrorist attack," with aims to "provoke a race war" by pushing "white men to kill black men, to scare black men".

In a previous statement, the district attorney said that Jackson had "prowled the streets of New York for three days in search of a black person to assassinate" as part of a "campaign of terrorism" that he hoped to continue.

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The guilty plea has made this the first time there has been a conviction for a white supremacist in the state for Murder in the First Degree in Furtherance of an Act of Terrorism in addition to Murder in the Second Degree as a Crime of Terrorism. In a statement District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr warned against the normalisation of white nationalism.

In his full statement, he said:

"White nationalism will not be normalized in New York. If you come here to kill New Yorkers in the name of white nationalism, you will be investigated, prosecuted, and incapacitated like the terrorist that you are.

"You will spend your life in prison without possibility of parole because there is no place in our city or our society for terrorists – ‘domestic’ or otherwise.

"This resolution won’t bring back Timothy Caughman, a beloved New Yorker who was executed for being black on a midtown street corner. It won’t reverse the alarming rise of white nationalism in America.

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"It is, however, the loudest message that a civil society can send to would-be terrorists, and I thank our prosecutors and the NYPD Detectives whose tireless work enabled us to secure this landmark conviction and send this very loud message today.

Following his conviction, Jackson is expected to receive a sentence of a life in prison, without the possibility of parole. This is the maximum sentence permitted under the state's criminal law.

He will be sentenced for his crimes on February 13 this year.