A federal jury found an Islamic extremist responsible for eight people's death after intentionally speeding a lorry down a New York City bike path in 2017 guilty of all murder charges.
The suspect, 34-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, shouted the phrase "God is great" in Arabic as he came out of the truck during his rampage in Manhattan. The man, who is an Uzbekistan native, was later shot by police officers and requested for an Islamic State group flag to be hung on his hospital bed.
NYC Bike Path Killings Suspect
Saipov could face the death penalty for the murders he committed that was part of the city's deadliest terrorist attack since the 9/11 incident. The last time state authorities ordered the death penalty against a defendant was in 1963.
The bike path attack, which occurred around Halloween, caused the immediate death of six people, and two others were brought to the hospital. Furthermore, the incident resulted in the injury of twelve other individuals, as per BBC.
Five of the fatalities belonged to a group of nine Argentine friends who were visiting the city. Another victim was a 31-year-old woman who was visiting from Belgium. Among the deaths were two Americans, a 32-year-old financial worker and a 23-year-old software engineer.
In a statement on Tuesday, prosecutor Jason Richman said that Saipov turned a bike path into his battlefield. He added that the suspect was happy about the terrorist attack he conducted. The suspect's defense attorney said that his client had expected to lose his life and become a martyr following the incident.
Shortly after Saipov's terrorist rampage, then-President Donald Trump called for the suspect's execution and, in 2020, reinstated federal executions following a 17-year moratorium. Under Joe Biden's administration, such executions were once again suspended. But the Justice Department last autumn said that it would consider the death penalty for Saipov.
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Potential Death Penalty
The jury that convicted the defendant of the murder charges will be the same one deliberating over whether or not he will be given the death penalty. For the execution to take place, the jury must have a unanimous decision. The trial's penalty phase is set to start on February 6, according to CNN.
The defendant was convicted on Thursday in the Southern District of New York on several charges. These include murder in aid of racketeering activity, assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder in aid of racketeering activity, attempted murder in aid of racketeering activity, provision of material support to ISIS, and violence and destruction of a motor vehicle.
During closing arguments, David Patton, the defense attorney, did not dispute the facts of the terrorist attack that his client is accused of committing. However, the defense team denied the prosecution's claim that the suspect was motivated to conduct the activities to get into ISIS.
Furthermore, while Patton said that Saipov's actions were senseless and horrific, he requested that the racketeering charges be dropped. Despite the mass amount of ISIS propaganda found on the defendant's devices and home, the attorney argued his client was not working with the terrorist group, said NBC News.
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