Police vehicles and ambulances are seen near the site of an attack in lower Manhattan in New York, the United States, on Oct 31, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

NEW YORK - A man in a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists along a busy bike path near the World Trade Center memorial on Tuesday, killing at least eight and seriously injuring 11 in what the mayor called "a particularly cowardly act of terror."

The driver was shot in the abdomen by police after jumping out of the truck with what turned out to be a fake gun in each hand and shouting what witnesses said was "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is great," authorities said. The man underwent surgery and was in critical condition but was expected to survive.

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

The driver barreled along the bike path in a rented Home Depot truck for the equivalent of about 14 blocks, or around eight-tenths of a mile, before slamming into a small yellow school bus. The mayhem and the burst of police gunfire set off panic in the lower Manhattan neighborhood and left the pavement strewn with mangled bicycles and bodies that were soon covered with sheets.

"I saw a lot of blood over there. A lot of people on the ground," said Chen Yi, an Uber driver.

Eugene Duffy, a chef at a waterfront restaurant, said, "So many police came, and they didn't know what was happening. People were screaming. Females were screaming at the top of their lungs." Argentina's foreign minister said the dead included Argentine citizens.

A damaged school bus is seen at the scene of a pickup truck attack in Manhattan, New York, US, Oct 31, 2017 in this picture obtained from social media. [Photo/Agencies]

New York and other cities around the globe have been on high alert against attacks by extremists in vehicles. The Islamic State has been exhorting its followers to mow down people, and England, France and Germany have seen deadly vehicle attacks in the past year or so.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called it a "lone wolf" attack and said there was no evidence to suggest it was part of a wider plot.

City Police Commissioner James O'Neill said a statement the driver made as he got out of the truck and the method of attack led police to conclude it was a terrorist act.

On Twitter, US President Donald Trump called it "another attack by a very sick and deranged person" and declared, "NOT IN THE USA.!" While police did not specifically blame the Islamic State for the New York bloodshed, Trump railed against the extremist group, tweeting, "We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!"

Police said Saipov rented the truck at about 2 pm in New Jersey, entering the bike path about an hour later on West Street a few blocks from the new World Trade Center, the site of the deadliest terror attack in US history. The truck then turned at Chambers Street, hitting the school bus and injuring two adults and two children.

A paintball gun and a pellet gun were found at the scene, police said. At least two covered-over bodies could be seen lying on the bike path, and the front end of the truck was smashed in, as was the side of the school bus.

Tom Gay, a school photographer, heard people saying there was an accident and went down to West Street, where a woman came around the corner shouting, "He has a gun! He has a gun!" Gay said he stuck his head around the corner and saw a slender man in a blue tracksuit running on West Street holding a gun. He said a heavyset man was chasing him.

He said he heard five or six shots, and the man in the tracksuit fell to the ground, gun still raised in the air. He said a man came over and kicked the gun out of his hand.

AP

A woman is aided by first responders after sustaining injury on a bike path in lower Manhattan in New York, NY, US, October 31, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Emergency crews attend the scene of an alleged shooting incident on West Street in Manhattan, New York, US, October 31 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Multiple bikes are crushed along a bike path in lower Manhattan in New York, NY, US, October 31, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Police officers stand guard near the site of an attack in lower Manhattan in New York, the United States, on Oct 31, 2017. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called on Tuesday a truck attack near the World Trade Center "an act of terror," in which eight people were killed and a dozen more injured. [Photo/Xinhua]