NEW YORK (AP) — The man who killed eight people on a New York City bike path five years ago called out “screams” and “destruction and terror” before telling FBI agents he was proud of his destruction. I left the scene. He wanted the flag of his terrorist group to be placed in his hospital room.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Lee said in Manhattan federal court that Saifulo Saipov carried out the terrorist attack on a sunny Halloween day in 2017 in a rented pickup truck, which he accelerated to 66 mph (106 kmh). He began his opening statement by recreating the terrorist attack he described.
As the defendant was occasionally fiddling with a computer mouse at the defense table, the prosecutor momentarily threw a finger in his direction, saying that a masked Saipov was responsible for eight deaths and permanent injuries to others. said.
Lee describes a “scene of destruction and terror” with wrecked bicycles littering busy streets, “screams echoing”, and survivors “stumbling, wounded and dazed” searching for family and friends. was Among the victims were a visiting family from Belgium and 10 friends from Argentina.
He said he hoped Saipov would drive to the Brooklyn Bridge and kill more people by “being able to mow down more people.”
Saipov, 34, who has pleaded not guilty, was charged with assault after crashing a truck into a school bus and inflicting severe brain damage on one child. I came out of the truck with it and shouted the Arabic phrase “Allahu Akbar!” It means “God is great!”
Saipov said his cries meant “congratulations.” He was shot by police officers and arrested at the scene along the West Side Highway.
Lee said police officers were among the witnesses detailing the day’s events, along with FBI agents who Saipov asked to raise an “ISIS” flag in a hospital room.
“He was proud of his attacks. He added that he testified that he smiled when he spoke about
The trial will follow a six-month jury selection process aimed at weeding out individuals who cannot be brought to justice.
Judge Vernon S. Broderick said that if Saipov was convicted, another “punishment phase” of the trial would occur, and a jury would decide whether Saipov would be sentenced to life in prison or executed. told them they would be asked to do so. Broderick said the sentence would be life imprisonment unless they unanimously opted for the death penalty.
Saipov’s lawyer said the death penalty process was irrevocably tainted when former President Donald Trump tweeted in capital letters that Saipov “should be sentenced to death!”
In 2001, weeks before the September 11 attacks, a Manhattan federal court jury sentenced two men convicted of the deadly bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa to death. refused to impose
In 2019, Saipov said at a pretrial hearing that “thousands of Muslims are dead around the world,” questioning why he should be tried for the eight deaths.
In his opening statement, Lee said jurors would hear testimony about Saipov’s desire to win the support of the Islamic State group after legally immigrating to the United States from Uzbekistan in 2010. jersey.
Prosecutors said Saipov’s cell phone contained evidence that Saipov viewed and stored thousands of images of Islamic State propaganda, including calls calling for the use of cars and trucks as weapons in terrorist attacks in the United States. said that
Defense counsel had not yet given oral arguments.