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WEBVTT yard. <"SOMETIMES INMIDTOWN, YOU COULD HIT A CORNER AND PEOPLE CROSSING AND YOU COULD RUN OVER FIFTY SIXTYPEOPLE IN A MATTER OF A SECOND."> It was an easy target says- former NYPD sergeant LouSavelli. Tuesday- A man drove into a bike path in Manhattan-killing eight people. <"THIS WAS A SUICIDE ATTACK AND HE CHOSE THE LOCATION BECAUSE OFTHE FREEDOM TOWER AND THE MEMORIAL FOR 9-11.">This attack, just a block over. <"HE RAN OUT OF THE TRUCK WITHTWO FAKE GUNS HE KNEW HE WOULDRUN INTO A POLICE OFFICER.">Savelli's former colleagues onthe force are working the scene right now. They've been sending him updates.<"SO WHAT TERRORISTS ARE DOINGNOW WITH ISIS, IS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR THE EASY TARGETS ANDGETTING IN A TRUCK OR CAR AND RUNNING PEOPLE OVER IS AN EASYWAY TO DO IT."> We've seentrucks similar to the one the terrorist rented from Home Depotin attacks both in London and Barcelona. Savelli says- usingvehicles has made recentheadlines, but the method isntnew.<"THERE WAS AN INCIDENT IN FRONTOF A WALLMART IN COLORADO AND ANOTHER ONE IN LAS VEGAS ABOUTTEN OR FIFTEEN YEARS AGO SO THISIS NOT A NEW THING TO THE UNITEDSTATES."> Savelli says- ISIS is looking for weak points anywhere. And it could even happen here in Central Iowa.<"IN PLACES LIKE IOWA OR OTHERPLACES THEY DON'T HAVE THESECURITY THAT NEW YORK CITY HAS."> <"WHEN THERE'S A STREETFAIR, NEW YORK CITY WOULD MAKEIT BLOCKED OFF, MAKE SURE OFFICERS ARE POSTED, HERE YOU MAY HAVE ONE OR TWO COPS IN THE AREA BUT THERE'S PROBABLY NOT A TRUCK BLOCKING IT, PROBABLY NOT JERSEY BARRIERS, PROBABLY NOT A LOT OF SECURITY FOR IT BECAUSETHEY DON'T EXPECT IT TO

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Eight people are dead after a truck drove into a Manhattan bike path Tuesday in what investigators described as a 'deliberate' act of terror.Just after 2 p.m., a white pickup truck jumped a curb and drove onto a bike path running alongside the West Side Highway. The suspect has been identified as Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old Uzbekistan native who lives in Florida. Officials believe he acted alone and they say there's no evidence this attack was part of a larger plot. Former New York Police Department Sgt. Lou Savelli, who currently lives in Des Moines, said the Manhattan bike path was an easy target. "This was a suicide attack, and he chose the location because of the Freedom Tower (One World Trade Center) and the memorial for 9-11,” Savelli said. Savelli said his former colleagues on the police force responded to the attack Tuesday and sent him updates whenever possible. "So what terrorists are doing now with ISIS (the Islamic State group) is they're looking for the easy targets, and getting in a truck or car and running people over is an easy way to do it,” Savelli said. Savelli said using vehicles to kill people has made headlines recently, but the method is not new. "There was an incident in front of a Walmart in Colorado and another one in Las Vegas about 10 or 15 years ago, so this is not a new thing to the United States,” Savelli said. He said while it is easy to think of Des Moines as a bubble in which nothing bad happens, ISIS is looking to attack anywhere it sees vulnerability -- even in our backyard. "In places like Iowa or other places, they don't have the security that New York City has,” Savelli said. “Here, you may have one or two cops in the area, but there's probably not a truck blocking it, probably not Jersey barriers, probably not a lot of security for it because they don't expect it to happen." Savelli said situational awareness is key and that anyone who sees something suspicious should say something to local law enforcement officials.