More than a dozen were left injured and eight were left dead after student of ISIS propaganda, Sayfullo Saipov,
rented a truck and drove down a busy bike path in Manhattan on Oct. 31.
Saipov was shot by NYPD in the abdomen after he drove his truck into a school bus and before exiting the vehicle
holding imitation guns. He was then taken to Bellevue Hospital Center where FBI questioned him shortly after
surgery. Saipov was charged with two counts of terrorism.
The counts are a charge of violence and destruction of a motor vehicle with willful disregard for human life and
providing material support to a terrorist organization. The vehicle charge could possibly lead to the death penalty in
the New York trial.
The NY Times reported that prior to Saipov being shot, he was heard shouting “Allahu akbar,” which translates
from the Arabic language to “God is great.” A note was found near the truck used in the attack, which allowed
investigative officials to confirm that that attack was carried out in the name of ISIS.
According to a criminal complaint, Saipov was proud of what he did and chose to attack on Halloween because he
figured there would be more people on the streets. He was inspired by videos he watched of the Islamic State and
even asked if he could hang up the ISIS flag in his hospital room. Officials have called this incident the deadliest
attack in New York since the terroristic attacks of September 11, 2001.
Six out of the eight people were pronounced dead at the scene on the West Side Highway and the other two were
pronounced dead at the Bellevue Hospital Center. Injuries of the other people affected range from broken bones to
amputations.
Saipov moved to the U.S. from Uzbekistan in 2010 and later settled down in a Muslim community in New Jersey
with his wife and three children while working as a truck driver. He was granted access into the U.S. with a State
Department program that grants visas to people in countries that have low immigration access into the U.S.
President Donald Trump addressed his concern and disparagement of the program, saying he planned on asking
congress to end the program, which implemented back in 1990.
In a news piece written by the LA Times, 63-year-old Atlanta Dimitrovska said, “The wife hardly went out. They
were very mysterious.” While Odilova is cooperating with investigators, she has denied any prior knowledge of
plans for the attack.
On Nov. 1, Trump tweeted “NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang up ISIS flag in his hospital room. He
killed 8 people, injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!” Trump also mentioned the idea of sending Saipov
to U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay although nothing has been made official as of writing this.
