Home Depot, Uber respond to links to NYC truck attack

The home improvement chain is facing scrutiny over rental practices after a terrorist drove down a bike path in Manhattan. Uber says the man passed its background check.

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A terrorist attack in New York has put two companies in the harsh glare of the crisis spotlight.

Tuesday afternoon a Home Depot rental truck was used to kill eight and injure about a dozen others as the assailant drove down a bike path in lower Manhattan. The suspect, arrested at the scene after being shot, was identified as an Uber driver.

Both Home Depot and Uber are under scrutiny for their screening practices.

The Washington Post reported:

Law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an open investigation, identified the suspect as Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbek immigrant, who had been living in Tampa, Fla.

New York officials immediately labeled the tragedy as terrorism.

NBC news reported:

“This was an act of terror and particularly cowardly act of terror,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said later at a briefing. “We know this action was intended to test our spirit.”

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