An Uzbek native who drove a rented truck down a Manhattan bike in an ISIS-inspired terror attack killing eight people was convicted of murder and attempted murder in order to gain entry to ISIS.
ISIS Inspired Terror Attack Launched in Manhattan Bike Path in 2017
An Uzbek Native Sayfullo Saipov drove a rented truck down a Manhattan bike path adjacent to the Hudson River. This ISIS-inspired terror attack was launched in Saipov’s hope of joining the terror group. After more than five years of contemplating, the verdict was served by a federal court jury of murder and attempted murder. This act makes the suspect eligible for the death penalty.
While being read his verdict, Saipov wore a mask over his face so his reactions can’t be seen. The suspect maintained bowing his head while he was announced guilty on all accounts. In addition, he was also convicted of aiding ISIS by providing deaths in the name of the terror group says Fox News.
An Uzbek native who drove a rented truck down a Manhattan bike in an ISIS-inspired terror attack . (Photo: NBC News)
Another Session to Decide if Saipov will be Given a Death Penalty
After the verdict, jurors will still have to decide whether Saipov should face the death penalty. They were also advised to prepare to return to court for the penalty phase on February 6. The verdict cost six hours to be decided upon as jurors deliberated it over two days. At first, there was some confusion about the charges but came to a unanimous verdict.
There were no witnesses supporting Saipov as he continuously claims that he did not carry out the attack to join ISIS and wanted to die a martyr. Prosecutors expressed that Saipov claims to choose the West Side Highway bike path during Halloween because he thought there would be more people out. It all ended when he crashed into a school bus. According to the prosecutors, if that crash did not happen he would have continued the rampage on the Brooklyn Bridge.
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