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PATERSON, N.J. (Reuters) – With its enormous Muslim population and reputation as a welcoming home for immigrants of some 50 nationalities, the New Jersey city of Paterson was the perfect place for the suspect in the New York City truck attack to go largely unnoticed.

Sayfullo Saipov, 29, lived there with his wife and three young children for more than a year before authorities say he drove a rented truck through throngs of people on a lower Manhattan bike path on Tuesday, killing eight people in what officials called an act of terrorism.

With one of the largest Muslim populations in the United States, estimated by community leaders at between 25,000 and 30,000 people, the city of nearly 150,000 boasts more than a half dozen mosques and many Middle Eastern and other ethnic restaurants.

Within blocks of Saipov’s apartment, Lebanese, Turkish and Mediterranean restaurants line the streets with signs in Arabic and English, serving immigrants from numerous European, African and Asian countries as well as a sizeable Hispanic population.