Icetruck

Bowe Bergdahl judge begins deliberating sergeant's sentence

A military judge on Thursday began deliberating the punishment for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after defense attorneys asked for no prison time while prosecutors sought more than a decade behind bars.

Army Col. Jeffery Nance said he planned to spend the afternoon considering evidence and would open court again Friday morning to continue deliberating then. It wasn't clear when he would deliver the sentence.

Bergdahl faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for walking off his remote post in Afghanistan in 2009. In closing arguments, prosecutors asked for a sentence of 14 years in prison, citing serious wounds to service members who looked for Bergdahl.

"Sgt. Bergdahl does not have a monopoly on suffering as a result of his choices," said Maj. Justin Oshana, a prosecutor. Contrasting Bergdahl to the wounded searchers, he added, "The difference is all the suffering stems from his choice."

But defense attorneys argued Bergdahl already suffered enough confinement during five years of brutal captivity by Taliban allies. They asked the judge to give their client a dishonorable discharge and no prison time. Their argument for leniency also cited harsh campaign-trail criticism by Donald Trump and Bergdahl's mental disorders.

"Justice is not rescuing Sgt. Bergdahl from his Taliban captors … only to place him in a cell," said Capt. Nina Banks, one of his defense attorneys.

Bergdahl pleaded guilty Oct. 16. The judge has wide discretion on sentencing because Bergdahl didn't strike a deal with prosecutors to limit his punishment. A bad conduct or dishonorable discharge would deprive Bergdahl of most or all his veterans' benefits.

The 31-year-old soldier from Hailey, Idaho, was brought home by President Barack Obama in 2014 in a swap for five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Obama said at the time the U.S. does not leave its service members on the battlefield. Republicans roundly criticized Obama, and Donald Trump went further while campaigning for president, repeatedly calling Bergdahl a traitor who deserved serious punishment.

During the multiday sentencing hearing, Bergdahl himself testified that he was sorry for the wounds suffered by searchers. He also described brutal beatings by his captors, illness brought on by squalid conditions and maddening periods of isolation. A psychiatrist testified that his decision to leave his post was influenced by a schizophrenia-like condition called schizotypal personality disorder that made it hard to understand consequences of his actions, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder brought on partly by a difficult childhood.

On Thursday, prosecutors cited Bergdahl's own words to argue against the idea that his thinking was clouded, displaying on a courtroom monitor quotes from an initial investigation after he returned to the U.S. Bergdahl, who has said he walked off to cause alarm draw attention to problems with his unit, described to an investigating officer how he envisioned the missing soldier alert unfolding.

Bergdahl had said that the call goes "all the way up to Army command, it goes to Air Force, it goes to Marines. … It goes to every high point and everybody finds out about it."

Banks countered that even though Bergdahl's decision was influenced by mental illness, he now takes responsibility and "stands before this court with a remorseful heart."

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Follow Drew at www.twitter.com/jonldrew

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Snoop Dogg stands over Trump body on album cover

An album cover image posted to Snoop Dogg's Instagram account showing the rapper looking down on what appears to be the dead body of President Donald Trump has been removed from the platform.

The cover of the "Make America Crip Again" EP shows the rapper looking on as a body covered with a U.S. flag lies on a gurney with a toe tag reading "TRUMP." The image is a play on the cover for Ice Cube's 1991 album "Death Certificate."

The photo was shared by Snoop Dogg Tuesday and later removed.

Snoop Dogg drew a rebuke from Trump on Twitter in March after releasing a music video in which he pointed a toy gun at a clown dressed like the president and pulled the trigger.

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Free 'Obamacare' for older, poorer in nearly all counties

Older people with low incomes nearly everywhere would have access to free "Obamacare" health coverage next year, according to a study Thursday that found the Trump administration's efforts to undercut the Affordable Care Act have broad unintended consequences.

The analysis by the consulting firm Avalere Health found that in nearly 98 percent of counties served by HealthCare.gov, a 50-year-old making about $18,000 a year would be able to get a basic "bronze" plan for no monthly premium in 2018.

A four-person household headed by a hypothetical 50-year-old could make nearly $37,000 and be eligible for free "bronze" coverage. The study covers the 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website, but similar effects are expected in states running their own online insurance markets.

"I'm actually fascinated to see what this does," said Chris Sloan, a senior manager who worked on the report. "We know that an awful lot of people shop every year. This may make some of the expected enrollment losses not as big as they could have been for next year."

Sign-up season for taxpayer-subsidized individual health plans got underway this week after some major changes by the Trump administration. Those include a shorter enrollment window that lasts until Dec. 15, and deep cuts in advertising and consumer assistance.

The free insurance quirk is the result of President Donald Trump's decision to end payments that reimbursed insurers for providing lower copays and deductibles to low-income customers. To offset losses, the companies raised premiums for popular "silver" plans, which automatically boosted federal subsidies.

But premiums didn't go up as much for basic "bronze" plans and higher-tier "gold" plans, so more customers can now get those plans for no added cost, provided their incomes qualify for subsidies.

People making up to four times the poverty line, or about $48,000 for an individual, can get federal help. "Bronze" plans aren't for everyone, because they have very high deductibles.

In a statement, the Trump administration said "Obamacare's" problems keep getting worse, but avoided the question of whether its own actions are contributing.

About 9 million to 10 million people are currently enrolled through the health law's markets. Also, nearly 8 million uninsured people could qualify for subsidies.

The free insurance twist is no help to millions of consumers who don't qualify for subsidies. They face another year of steep increases.

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Online:

Avalere study — https://tinyurl.com/ybanu8rq

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Art galleries targeted by cyber-thieves

Cyber-criminals appear to be targeting art galleries and dealers with an email scam that has already fooled some organisations.

The attackers broke into art dealer email accounts and sent buyers duplicated invoices with the bank account details changed.

Several galleries in London and the US that had been affected were identified by the Art Newspaper.

Art dealer groups have warned people to be vigilant.

The scammers monitored outgoing messages from art gallery email accounts, then intercepted invoices and changed them.

The Rosenfeld Porcini gallery in London was one of the organisations that fell victim to the scam after agreeing the sale of an artwork.

"Around seven or eight hours after we had sent our invoice, the buyers got another email saying that the invoice we had sent out was in the wrong currency and that they should make payment to a different account," Mr Rosenfeld told the Art Newspaper.

The gallery is in discussions with the bank to try to recover the money.

Two-step verification

Another gallery told the newspaper that some dealers had been scammed out of "hundreds of thousands of pounds".

The Simon Lee gallery said it now sends cyber-fraud warnings with its invoices and speaks to clients on the telephone to confirm every transaction.

Enabling two-factor authentication – also known as two-step verification – on email accounts can also make it harder for criminals to break in.

The Society of London Art Dealers has previously warned its members about the dangers of email fraud.

"We are indeed very concerned about this problem," the Director General Christopher Battiscombe said.

"As all of us are compelled to do more and more of our business online, it seems to me inevitable that criminals will focus increasingly in this area and we all need to think about the risks involved and whether we are doing enough to protect ourselves against them."

The group said it had distributed a cyber-security presentation to its members.

Source – bbc.com

Amazon may be set to announce that it will be accepting Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on its e-commerce platform.

Amazon has registered three new domains related to cryptocurrency, prompting speculation it may be about to announce a move into the sector.

The company has not made an announcement regarding the reason for the registrations, but it could be preparing to accept the currencies as payment or launching an exchange for customers to purchase them.

Amazon's legal department is listed as the registrant for the .com domains amazonethereum, amazoncryptocurrency, and amazoncryptocurrencies.

Amazon registered amazonbitcoin.com three years ago, which redirects to the amazon.com site.

While it is possible Amazon has registered the domains to prevent others from using them, there are strict consumer protections in the US against "domain squatting" – or registering a domain with the intent of profiting from someone else's trademark – which would make this unnecessary.

The registrations follow two consecutive days of Bitcoin hitting all-time highs, following an announcement by CME Group that it plans to launch a futures market in the currency by the end of the financial year.

The digital cash hit a value of over £4,780 ($6,338) on Tuesday afternoon – an increase of almost 50% since September – with gains of more than 710% since Halloween in 2016.

By Thursday, it was trading above £5,330 ($7,000) – a long way up from its previous top valuation achieved only in October, when it topped £3,900 ($5,200).

Last month the chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, described Bitcoin as a "fraud" and told his company's investors it was "worse than tulip bulbs".

However, Jeroen Blokland, an investor at Robeco, dismissed the bubble claims – which have dogged the cryptocurrency since it was first launched nine years ago – noting on Twitter that $1,000 invested in the digital cash back on 22 July 2010 would now be worth $100m.

Bitcoin has increased 750% this calendar year driving further investment but it has continued to display extraordinary volatility which has made many investors shy away.

The value of the cryptocurrency has recovered since September when a crackdown in China, prompted by fears of fraud connected to similar technologies, caused it to crash below $3,000.

At the time of the October high, Naeem Aslam, chief analyst at Think Markets, said he believed Bitcoin could continue to surge if large e-commerce players like Amazon began to accept it.

Mr Aslam was among those who believed the value of Bitcoin could hit $7,000 by the end of the year and suggested acceptance by outfits such as Amazon, eBay and China's Alibaba may help it get there.

Analysts fuelled rumours that Amazon could announce a move to accept Bitcoin during its October investors' call, but no such announcement was made.

The company did not immediately respond to Sky News' enquiries.

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Source – News.sky.com

'Houston Strong' mantra rings true after Astros' World Series win

WATCH Astros celebrate 'Houston Strong' with World Series win

The Astros took home their first ever World Series title Wednesday night, dedicating their historic win to the city that rallied behind them after being devastated by Hurricane Harvey in late August.

Mike Nelson/EPA

After the storm, which dumped record rainfall on the area, "Houston Strong" became a significant mantra for the city and its beloved team. The Astros wore a patch with the word "strong" over the logo on their uniforms as they battled through the postseason, inspiring the thousands of Houston residents who continued to rebuild after Harvey's devastating flooding.

A post shared by Houston Astros (@astrosbaseball) on Nov 1, 2017 at 11:06am PDT

After the Astros' 5-1 win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles, emotions ran high on and off the field, and many of the players had a message for their city.

Harvey dropped 51 inches so the Houston Astros dropped the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-1. #WorldSeries #EarnedHistory https://t.co/OiAF1urqMJ

— Houston Chronicle (@HoustonChron) November 2, 2017

Justin Verlander, the star pitcher who was traded to the Astros just two months ago, said he "absolutely" embraced doing this for the city of Houston.

"We embraced that and the fans embraced us to be able to do this for them, I mean it's something special," Verlander told ABC News. "What an incredible city that I joined. They made me feel at home right away and I'm so happy for us, I'm so happy for them, this is a great experience for everyone."

Kyodo/Newscom

Astros center fielder George Springer was named the series' MVP after helping lead his team to victory with a series record high of five home runs.

"This is unbelievable. I'm so happy for our city and our fans," Springer said after the win.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Football player J.J. Watt of the Houston Texans, who raised millions for Harvey relief efforts, followed every minute of the Astros Game 7 win.

WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!!#EarnHistory

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 2, 2017

Fans celebrated with the team using the hashtag #HoustonStrong on social media in a show of support and unity.

We cannot thank you enough @astros! You showed world we are #HoustonStrong i #Harvey couldn't take us down. We are #WorldChampions!

— Melanie Lawson (@MelanieLawson13) November 2, 2017

Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul shared a photo standing on the field at Minute Maid Park in Houston with his family in full Astros gear.

Houston is as resilient as they come!! Congrats @astros on making history!! ???? pic.twitter.com/QXAVLC1Kvm

— Chris Paul (@CP3) November 2, 2017

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who led his team to a championship four years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, also hailed the hometown heroes.

Congrats to the #HoustonAstros and city of Houston for the World Series win last night. Magical!#HoustonStrong

— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) November 2, 2017

"It's hard to draw it up any better," Astros Manager A.J. Hinch said after the game. "I just wanted to be the last team standing and we're taking this trophy, this championship vibe we've got going, back to Houston. We'll forever be a championship city."

Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

After 20 years in the majors, Puerto Rican native Carlos Beltran finally celebrated a championship. Puerto Rico was also devastated by a storm recently, when Hurricane Maria swept through in September. Beltran said he was humbled by the timing of the win and opportunity to bring their fans joy.

"Having this opportunity to be a world champion really means a lot and I thank God. I give God the glory and the honor for this moment. I'm excited not only for the city of Houston, but also for the country of Puerto Rico," Beltran said.

Harry How/Getty Images

The city of Houston will honor the World Series champs with a parade on Friday in celebration of the team's first MLB championship victory, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

"It's a true privilege to proudly host this magnificent salute to our hometown team that has earned history," said Turner. "As we bounce back from Hurricane Harvey, we are more than ready to welcome our heroes home in proper form."

The parade begins at 2 p.m. local time and will go through the downtown area, celebrating Houston's strength.

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Catalonia crisis: Spain's prosecutors ask for eight leaders to be jailed

Prosecutors in Madrid have asked for eight sacked members of Catalonia's regional government to be jailed over their role in October's disputed independence referendum.

Nine Catalan officials testified at Spain's high court over accusations of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and four others disregarded a summons.

The deposed leader, who is in Belgium, said the trial was "political".

Spain has been gripped by a constitutional crisis since the referendum was held on 1 October in defiance of a constitutional court ruling that had declared it illegal.

Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy imposed direct rule on Catalonia, dissolving the regional parliament and calling snap local elections for 21 December.

• Catalonia crisis in 300 words
• What next for Spain?

This came after Catalan lawmakers voted to declare independence of the affluent north-eastern region.

The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part in the referendum, 90% were in favour of independence.

What is happening?

Prosecutors asked the high court judge to jail eight of the nine members who turned up for questioning.

Those included sacked deputy leader Oriol Junqueras, Interior Minister Joaquin Forn, foreign affairs chief Raül Romeva and spokesman Jordi Turull.

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The ninth, Catalonia's former business minister Santi Vila, should be granted a €50,000 ($58,000; £44,000) bail, prosecutors said. He resigned before the Catalan parliament voted for independence on Friday.

The Catalan leaders are yet to be formally charged. They were accused of rebellion – which carries a maximum 30-year jail term – as well as sedition and misuse of funds.

A judge will decide whether the officials should go to jail, pending an investigation that could potentially lead to a trial.

The judge can also grant them conditional bail and order them to surrender their passports.

Who did not show up?

Five sacked officials stayed in Brussels, including Mr Puigdemont, who had previously said he would not return to Spain if he and his colleagues did not receive unspecified guarantees of a fair trial.

Reports suggest some of them requested to appear before the judges via video conference.

Mr Puigdemont's Belgian lawyer told Reuters news agency that he would co-operate with the authorities in Spain and Belgium, but did not appear before the judges because "the climate is not good".

The sacked leader's handling of the crisis has drawn criticism among some other Catalan politicians, with left-wing parliamentary deputy Joan Josep Nuet criticising him for creating "yet more bewilderment".

Meanwhile, five other senior members of the Catalan parliament, as well as speaker Carme Forcadell, are facing the same charges but, because of their parliamentary immunity, their cases are being handled by the Supreme Court.

Their hearings have been postponed until 9 November.

• The man who wants to break up Spain

Despite Mr Puigdemont's position, the Spanish government insists it has no influence over the country's judiciary, the BBC's Tom Burridge in Barcelona says.

But if those Catalan politicians appearing in court are denied bail it will cause further anger among those who want Catalonia to break away, our correspondent adds.

The court summons also gave them three days to pay a deposit of €6.2m ($7.2m) to cover potential liabilities.

Source – bbc.com

Bergdahl judge begins deliberating on sentence

A military judge on Thursday began deliberating the punishment for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after defense attorneys asked for no prison time while prosecutors sought more than a decade behind bars.

Army Col. Jeffery Nance said he planned to spend the afternoon considering evidence and would open court again Friday morning to continue deliberating then. It wasn't clear when he would deliver the sentence.

Bergdahl faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for walking off his remote post in Afghanistan in 2009. In closing arguments, prosecutors asked the judge to sentence him to 14 years in prison, citing serious wounds to service members who looked for Bergdahl.

"Sgt. Bergdahl does not have a monopoly on suffering as a result of his choices," said Maj. Justin Oshana, a prosecutor. Contrasting Bergdahl with those wounded searching for him, he added, "The difference is all the suffering stems from his choice."

But defense attorneys argued Bergdahl already suffered enough confinement during his five years of brutal captivity by Taliban allies. They asked the judge to give their client a dishonorable discharge and no prison time. Their argument for leniency also cited harsh campaign-trail criticism by Donald Trump and Bergdahl's mental disorders.

"Justice is not rescuing Sgt. Bergdahl from his Taliban captors … only to place him in a cell," said Capt. Nina Banks, one of his defense attorneys.

Bergdahl pleaded guilty Oct. 16 to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The judge has wide discretion on sentencing Bergdahl because he didn't strike a plea agreement with prosecutors to limit his punishment. A bad conduct or dishonorable discharge would deprive Bergdahl of most or all of his veterans' benefits.

The 31-year-old soldier from Hailey, Idaho, was brought home by President Barack Obama in 2014 in a swap for five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Obama said at the time the U.S. does not leave its service members on the battlefield. Republicans roundly criticized Obama, and Donald Trump went further while campaigning for president, repeatedly calling Bergdahl a traitor who deserved serious punishment.

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Follow Drew at www.twitter.com/jonldrew

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Source – abcnews.go.com

Compassion over Chinese mother's 'mercy killing'

The case of an elderly woman found guilty of killing her disabled son has provoked an outpouring of compassion from Chinese social media users.

The 83-year-old, identified only as Ms Huang, was found guilty of the manslaughter of her disabled son, Li.

She fed her 46-year-old son about 60 sleeping pills on 9 May and strangled him with a silk scarf as she used cotton pads to cover his nose.

Huang was found guilty of manslaughter by the People's Intermediate Court of Guangzhou and received a three-year suspended prison sentence.

She said she took her son's life because she feared no one would care for him after she died.

Li was born prematurely with severe mental and physical disabilities that left him unable to walk or talk.

Prosecutors asked Huang why she could not have arranged for Li to have been cared for by his elder brother, but she said she was not prepared to burden him.

"It was my fault to give birth to him and make him suffer. I'd rather commit murder than leave him to someone else," Huang told the court.

"[F]or the past two years my own health was too poor to take care of him any more," the 83-year-old said.

"I'm getting older and weaker and might die before him," she said. "The idea of killing him occurred to me a week before and I had been struggling."

Head judge Wan Yunfeng said: "She deserves mercy even though she did break the law."

'Inexplicably sad' – reaction from Chinese social media

The case has gone viral on the Chinese popular social media microblogging platform Weibo.

One popular comment highlighted the difficulties that having a disability can have on a person and their families

Yuangungun DeXueqiu said: "In this country, a mental illness or disability can make an ordinary family's lives disastrous. For such people, there is really not enough aid."

The case has also reopened the debate around euthanasia in China. One Sina Weibo user said: "This happened because euthanasia has not been legalised."

Some users disagreed with this statement, saying that "This has nothing to do with euthanasia, but with current social welfare issues."

According to the China Disabled Persons' Federation, there are 2.7m people with disabilities in the world's most populous country.

However, there are only 6,740 registered disabled care support services, which can only provide some total care for about 204,000 people with any type of disability.

This means that the burden of care for disabled people in China often falls upon family members of people with disabilities. As one Weibo user put it: "The problem lies in social welfare and the [social] security system is far from perfect."

Some users expressed their sorrow for the defendant. Some saw the incident as "inexplicably sad", while one commenter said they felt "drowned in sorrow".

There was also empathy for her plight, with one user saying: "No-one can understand this mother's love. After all, she personally took care of him for 46 years."

Source – bbc.com

New York truck attack suspect 'spent a year planning'

The main suspect in the New York truck rampage that killed eight people on Tuesday has told investigators he began planning the attack a year ago.

Sayfullo Saipov, 29, said he intended to kill as many people as possible and "felt good" about the Halloween attack.

The Uzbek immigrant, who faces federal terrorism charges, says he was inspired by so-called Islamic State. He was shot and injured by police at the scene.

US President Donald Trump tweeted that he should receive the death penalty.

The charges filed against Mr Saipov are federal, which means the government can override New York state's ban on capital punishment.

Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

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!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump

What did the suspect say?

Mr Saipov appeared in court in a wheelchair 24 hours after mowing down cyclists and pedestrians on a bike lane in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

Six people died at the scene and two more in hospital. Twelve people were injured, four of whom remain in critical condition.

• What we know and don't know

Prosecutors say Mr Saipov spoke freely to them, waiving his right to avoid self-incrimination while in custody.

According to federal court papers, he said:

• The attack was a year in the planning and he carried out a trial run with a rental truck last month
• He intentionally chose Halloween because he believed there would be more people in the streets
• He originally planned to target the Brooklyn Bridge as well
• He wanted to display Islamic State (IS) flags on the truck, but decided not to draw attention to himself
• He was inspired by 90 graphic and violent propaganda videos found on his phone – in particular, one in which IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi asks what Muslims are doing to avenge deaths in Iraq.

Mr Saipov was charged with one count of providing material support and resources to IS and another count of violence and destruction of motor vehicles.

• Read more on the suspect
• Why Uzbek migrants are radicalised

New York Police's Deputy Commissioner John Miller said the suspect appeared "to have followed almost exactly to a 'T'" IS instructions on how to carry out such an attack.

The FBI says they have located a second Uzbek man, 32-year-old Mukhammadzoir Kadirov, who was wanted for questioning in connection with the attack.

Who is the suspect?

Sayfullo Saipov had reportedly lived in Tampa, Florida, before moving to Paterson, New Jersey.

He arrived in America from Uzbekistan in 2010 and is a legal resident of the country. Uber confirmed he had been working as a driver for them.

CBS News quotes an intelligence source as saying he was known to US authorities after his name was associated with the subjects of FBI counter-terrorism investigations in 2015.

The source says he had some contact with individuals who were considered radicalised extremists, at least one of whom was Uzbek. It is unclear whether those being investigated were in the US or overseas.

It is not known if Mr Saipov, who was not the main focus of the investigation, was interviewed at that time by the FBI.

What has been the reaction?

New York has increased the police presence at key transport hubs, and there will be additional uniformed and plain-clothes police on duty at Sunday's New York Marathon.

President Trump said he was taking steps to end the diversity lottery programme – the immigration system under which the suspect entered the country.

• What is the diversity green card lottery?
• How did Trump do in his terror response?

But on Thursday, the US president drew back from an earlier call to send the suspect to the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, suggesting it would take too long.

Skip Twitter post 2 by @realDonaldTrump

Would love to send the NYC terrorist to Guantanamo but statistically that process takes much longer than going through the Federal system…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2017

Report

End of Twitter post 2 by @realDonaldTrump

The administration says it has not ruled out adding Uzbekistan to a list of countries in the president's proposed travel ban.

The mayor of New York City and the governor of New York state have both praised the resilience of New Yorkers – and urged people not to "politicise" a tragedy that took eight lives.

Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio also suggested New York's strict gun control laws had ensured that high-powered weapons could not get into the hands of terrorists.

How did the attack unfold?

The attacker rented the truck from a New Jersey branch of retailer Home Depot on Tuesday afternoon before driving to New York City and entering the bike lane, police said.

Video cameras show the van driving at very high speed, appearing to target bike riders and pedestrians.

After the truck collided with a school bus, the truck driver emerged and brandished what appeared to be two weapons.

Mr Saipov was shot and wounded at the scene by an NYPD officer who was alerted to the attack by witnesses.

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Knives, a paint gun and a pellet gun were recovered from the scene.

It was the deadliest terror attack in the city since the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001.

Who were the victims?

A group of five Argentine friends celebrating the 30th anniversary of their college graduation were among the dead.

The men – all aged 48 or 49 – were named as Hernán Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Damián Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferrucci.

Belgian officials said Anne-Laure Decadt, a 31-year-old from Staden in Flanders, was also killed. Three Belgians were wounded.

Two other victims, both Americans, have been identified as Darren Drake, 32, and Nicholas Cleves, 23.

• Read more on the victims

Source – bbc.com