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On Monday, March 13, 35-year-old Sayfullo Saipov was sentenced to life in prison without parole for his role in the 2017 New York Truck attack, which killed eight people and injured 12 others.
Trigger warning: This article concerns mentions of a terrorist attack. Reader discretion is advised.
As per the indictment, the convicted terrorist was charged with 12 counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of providing material support for terrorism, and one count of violence and destruction of a motor vehicle resulting in death.
John Miller, the Deputy Commissioner of the New York Police Department, described Sayfullo Saipov as a "self-radicalised" terrorist who cited ISIL as an influence. The New York Times reported that he confessed to having planned the massacre for approximately a year.
Details of the attack carried out by Sayfullo Saipov
As reported by Time, after his arrest, Sayfullo Saipov told authorities that he was inspired to carry out the attack after engaging with online pro-ISIL material. The group's social media posts also outlined methods that radicals could use to execute vehicular terrorist attacks.
Sayfullo Saipov said that he intentionally perpetrated the massacre on October 31, the night of Halloween. At approximately 3:04 pm, he drove a rented pickup truck on the bike lane of Houston street, before running over several cyclists. Subsequently, the pickup truck crashed into a school bus transporting students with special needs.
As per the Associated Press, Saipov left the vehicle and displayed weapons, which were later revealed to be a paintball gun and pellet gun. He was then shot non-fatally by a responding NYPD officer, before authorities proceeded to detain him. The arrest report noted that after his arrest, Saipov waived his Miranda rights and described the details of his plan.
All there is to know about the suspect
Born in Tashkhent, Uzbekistan, Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov arrived in America on a Diversity Immigrant Visa in 2010. In 2015, he was interviewed by federal authorities due to his links to two terrorist suspects, though he was not suspected of any crimes at the time.
Radio Liberty reported that acquaintances of Saipov said that he was not particularly religious when he arrived in the United States. However, he eventually became a member of a mosque, which had been suspected of spreading radical propaganda. Despite this, he supposedly never outwardly expressed radical views to friends and family.
After Saipov's arrest, authorities discovered ISIL media on his phone, including several photos and videos celebrating the terrorist organization. The Associated Press stated that he also requested an ISIL flag in his hospital room.
In the wake of the killings, ISIL accepted responsibility for the attack and labeled Sayfullo Saipov a "soldier of the caliphate".
