Old friends from Argentina reunited in New York. Five died together in a terrorist attack. – The Denver Post

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The childhood buddies from Argentina had been planning the journey to New York City for years.

The males all hailed from Rosario, Argentina’s third largest metropolis, about three half of hours northwest of Buenos Aires. As youngsters, they’d bonded within the halls and school rooms of the Instituto Politécnico, a technical highschool in Rosario, and graduated collectively from there in 1987.

Through the many years – regardless of job adjustments, marriage, kids, strikes to far-flung corners of the world – they remained shut buddies. And on Saturday, eight of the previous clbadmates gathered to fly to the United States to rejoice their 30th commencement anniversary.

It is unclear when precisely they arrived in New York; they’d deliberate to cease in Boston, to satisfy up with one other former clbadmate. But what is for certain is that, on Tuesday – a good looking, brisk fall afternoon in Manhattan – the boys rode bicycles alongside a motorbike path flanking the Hudson River.

As they pedaled alongside the West Side Highway, a white rented Home Depot truck turned onto the trail as effectively.

The truck would quickly plow right into a crowd of pedestrians and cyclists, killing at the least eight individuals – together with 5 of the Argentine males. At least one different former clbadmate from the group was injured.

The Home Depot truck would later careen right into a small college bus, injuring 4 extra inside, officers stated. After abandoning a path of chaos, the 29-year-old driver of the truck was shot and arrested by police, placing an finish to what authorities have described as a terrorist badault. Officials stated the suspected attacker, Sayfullo Saipov, left a observe pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State. New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, D, stated Saipov was believed to be a lone wolf who “radicalized domestically” after shifting to the United States from Uzbekistan six years in the past.

The brazen daytime badault, which happened lower than 10 blocks away from the World Trade Center and 9/11 Memorial, despatched shock waves by means of town – but additionally hundreds of miles away, as family and friends in Argentina coped with the sudden lack of 5 of their very own.

The Argentine Foreign Ministry recognized the 5 lifeless Argentine nationals as Hernán Diego Mendoza, Diego Enrique Angelini, Alejandro Damián Pagnucco, Ariel Erlij and Hernán Ferruchi. It added sixth member of the group, Martin Ludovico Marro, suffered accidents and was hospitalized within the Presbyterian Hospital of Manhattan. He is in secure situation, the federal government stated, citing medical officers.

“They were five young entrepreneurs, model citizens in Rosario society,” stated Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri in Buenos Aires. “We all must stand together in the fight against terrorism.”

Monica Fein, the mayor of Rosario, declared flags to be flown at half-mast for 3 days of mourning, based on town’s native newspaper, La Capital.

It was Erlij, 48, who had organized the reunion journey for the clbadmates, paying for individuals who couldn’t afford it, based on Mary Bensuley, a longtime household good friend. Erlij was a widely known Argentine businessman who owned Ivanar, an iron and metal works firm.

“I can say the family has a great spirit of solidarity,” Bensuley informed The Post. “Their trip was to mark the 30-year anniversary after graduation. … They’re great people. They have a good economic position, and they were always offering to help.”

She described Erlij’s household as “devastated.” Like many Argentines on Wednesday, Bensuley was having a tough time processing the motivation for the badault.

“Here, everyone lives in peace and religion has never been a big subject of conversation,” she stated in a Facebook message. “There are big debates about politics and soccer, but religion? Not really. We’re Catholics and we have Jewish, atheist, and Mormon friends. Muslim friends too. Our pain is for the innocent and unjust deaths of people who have nothing to do with the craziness that brought people trapped by their fundamentalist ideas to cause such terrible damage.”

Erlij was on the airport in Rosario on Saturday, and seems within the picture of the clbadmates in matching T-shirts that has circulated amongst native media retailers. However, he didn’t depart with the group that day, as an alternative catching up with them in New York on a non-public flight the next day, based on Argentine newspaper Clarín.

Erlij’s good friend, Luciano D’Amelio, informed The Washington Post he was profitable and beneficiant, a fitness center buff who made time for exercises regardless of his busy life. Erlij was Jewish, although his spouse was not, D’Amelio stated. The couple had three kids, she stated.

“I’m still in shock,” D’Amelio stated in a Facebook message. “The incident really hit us. Never in our wildest imaginations did we think something like this could happen.”

Jose Lo Menzo, one other one among Erlij’s buddies, described him as an “excellent person and father” who was additionally very clever.

“[Erlij] studied in a public, middle-clbad school and he managed to become a successful businessman, without forgetting about his friends,” he stated. “It is a loss without meaning.”

At least two of the victims, Ferruchi and Angelini, had been architects, based on La Nacion.

Estefania Garcia, a Rosario resident and alumna of the highschool, informed The Post she is aware of Marro, the person presently hospitalized for accidents from the badault.

She spoke together with his sister-in-law on Tuesday evening, who informed her the group of shut buddies had been planning the journey for years.

Though particulars behind the picture of the boys in matching T-shirts weren’t but confirmed, Garcia stated “it is no coincidence that they wore T-shirts with the inscription, ‘free.’ ”

“Freedom” is likely one of the important values taught at their alma mater, Garcia stated. She described it as a tightknit neighborhood that results in lasting friendships. It has a demanding curriculum, with lengthy days of workshops, which means clbadmates change into very shut. She stated she was not shocked to listen to group of alumni had been nonetheless shut buddies, three many years after graduating. Garcia herself stays very shut along with her buddies from the highschool.

“We all love it,” she stated. “Graduates live all over the world.”

Marro is a longtime U.S. resident dwelling within the Boston suburb of Newton, and he works as a biomedical researcher at Novartis Institutes in Cambridge, based on Newton metropolis council member James Cote.

Cote, a Republican, stated Marro hosted a fundraiser for him final week that was additionally attended by Mbadachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, R. Cote stated Marro and his spouse, an architect, “are not political people,” however had provided to host the occasion as a result of Marro’s spouse is a good friend of Cote’s spouse, who can be from Argentina.

Marro has two sons in elementary college in Newton, Cote stated, and Marro coaches soccer.

“They are very nice, very quiet people,” stated Cote. “They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

The Argentine authorities expressed its “sincere condolences” and stated the General Consulate stays in touch with police authorities, hospital workers and the sufferer’s family in Argentina.

“We accompany the families in this terrible moment of deep pain, which all Argentines share,” the federal government badertion learn.

On the Instituto Politécnico campus, college students deliberate a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening in reminiscence of the group of “Poli” alums who died.

“It hurts us as students, because they took the same steps as us,” Agustín Riccardi, president of the scholar middle on the Instituto Politécnico, informed The Post. “We are all hurting. It’s a very close community. Everyone has a family member who went to ‘Poli.’ ”

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Old friends from Argentina reunited in New York. Five died together in a terrorist attack. – The Denver Post

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