Belgian Mom of 2 Sons Was Among Those Killed in Manhattan Attack

By Bowen Xiao
November 1, 2017 Last Updated: November 1, 2017
Investigators at the scene after a man driving a rental truck struck and killed eight people on a jogging and bike path in Lower Manhattan on Oct. 31, 2017, in New York City. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)

A woman from Belgium was identified as one of the those killed in the terror attack in Manhattan.

Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, who pledged allegiance to ISIS, deliberately drove a rented Home Depot truck into a busy bike path in downtown Manhattan. He killed at least eight people on Tuesday, Oct. 31, near the World Trade Center, CNN reported.

Ann-Laure Decadt, a mother of 2 boys—a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old—was confirmed dead on Wednesday according to her family, the Daily News reported.

“This loss is unbearable and unthinkable,” her husband Alexander Naessens said in a statement.

“Anne-Laure … was a fantastic wife and the most beautiful mom to our two sons.”

Decadt was a 31-year-old originally from the town of Roeselare, Belgium, the Daily News reported. Her mother and two sisters, who were in Manhattan biking with Decadt were not harmed when they were “surprised by the danger that came from behind.”

Naessens said he first received the news of his wife’s death in a phone call. That call came from Lower Manhattan Hospital Tuesday night to Belgium. He asked for privacy for his family.

Decadt had planned to leave the United States on Friday, just days after the deadly attack.  She first arrived with her mother and two sisters. The family members arrived in New York last weekend, according to family spokesman Francesco Vanderjeugd, the mayor of Staden, Belgium, told the Daily News.

“This is a shock in our city, it is a small community of only about 11,000 people,” the mayor told the Daily News.

Vanderjeugd added that Decadt’s relatives in Belgium do not plan on going to the United States, as they are looking into getting the body of their loved one sent home instead.

Decadt’s social media page shows her adventurous spirit, with pictures of her bungy jumping and living life.

Three other Belgians were among the injured, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders said, according to the Daily News.

Among those killed, five Argentine men were celebrating 30 years of friendship.

Emergency personal respond after a man driving a rental truck struck and killed eight people on a jogging and bike path in Lower Manhattan on Oct. 31, 2017, in New York City. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

Authorities in Argentina named them as Hernán Mendoza, Diego Angelini, Alejandro Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij, and Hernan Ferruchi.

From NTD.tv