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BREAKING: US Officials File Charges Against NYC Terror Suspect

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  November 01, 2017 6:15 PM

UPDATE: Here's the complaint from the U.S Attorney.

UPDATE II: Sen. Lindsey Graham wants Saipov to be declared an enemy combatant. He's also open to sending him to Gitmo.

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Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Joon Kim formally announced that Sayfullo Saipov, the 29-year-old terrorist from Uzbekistan, would be charged on federal terrorism charges. Joon reiterated the crime Saipov committed on Tuesday, driving a pickup truck through lower Manhattan and plowing through pedestrians and cyclist, killing eight people and injuring an additional twelve. He thanked the work of the FBI, the NYPD, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and other law enforcement agencies who were able to provide the information that allowed the charges to be brought forward.

Material support of a terrorist organization—ISIS—and inflicting violence and destruction by motor vehicle are the two counts Saipov is facing. Kim said Saipov shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he exited the truck after he crashed into a school bus. NYPD Officer Ryan Nash, who shot him in the abdomen, confronted him. At this time Saipov was brandishing fake firearms.

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Kim said Saipov committed this attack in support of ISIS, and that the evidence is laid out in complaint. Among the evidence to support this claim, there was a note recovered near the truck, which declared Saipov's support of the terrorist organization. Also, a search warrant was executed on the bag of cell phones he was carrying, showing thousands of ISIS messages and nearly 90 videos showing soldiers of the Islamic State engaging in beheadings, running over people in tanks, and shooting them in the face. Saipov was inspired to commit this attack by watching these videos. He had been planning to do this for two months, and rented a truck to practice his turns that would allow him to commit this attack in New York City. This practice run occurred on October 22.  

A second person, Muhammad Kadiro, 32, was sought as a person who might have information on this attack. Assistant Director of the FBI Bill Sweeney said that they are no longer seeking him anymore, as they’ve found him.

The charges filed against Saipov could bring the death penalty. The Associated Press added that Saipov was a truck driver in Ohio and was recently working for Uber.