The man in a rented pickup truck mowed down pedestrians and cyclists along a busy bike path near New York's World Trade Center memorial shouted "Allahu Akbar" according to a witness.
Eight people were killed and 11 injured in what New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called "a particularly cowardly act of terror".
The attacker 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 attcker underwent surgery and was in critical condition but was expected to survive.
Two law enforcement officials said a note was recovered inside the truck, with handwriting in a foreign language, possibly Arabic.
While the American police have not specifically blamed the ISIS for the attack, President Donald 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. Engouh!"
Argentina's Foreign Ministry says five of the nation's citizens were among the eight people killed in the attack.
And the deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister of Belgium said in a tweet one of the dead was Belgian.
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