Trump After NYC Attack : We Must ‘Step Up’ Our ‘Extreme Vetting Program’

President Donald Trump speaks to the National Association of Manufactures at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks to the National Association of Manufactures at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Friday, Sept. 29, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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Following an attack in New York City on Tuesday that left eight people dead and 11 injured, President Donald Trump quickly called for the Department of Homeland Security to intensify its vetting procedures for immigrants.

Trump also linked the attack to the Islamic State, even though authorities had yet to determine that the suspect has any ties to the terrorist group. NBC News reported that law enforcement found a note from the suspect indicating he carried out the attack on behalf of the Islamic State, but that report surfaced after Trump published his tweet.

Trump did offer his condolences to the victims of the attack, but only after linking the attack to the Islamic State.

Authorities have identified the suspect in the attack as Sayfullo Saipov, a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan who immigrated to the U.S. legally. Uzbekistan is not one of the countries listed in the Trump administration’s travel ban targeting majority Muslim countries.

Saipov drove a rented truck down a bike path in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, mowing down people before exiting the vehicle. He then pulled out two handguns and yelled “God is great” in Arabic, according to law enforcement.

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