Sayfullo Saipov, Terrorist Attack, New York 2023

Sayfullo Saipov, a Terrorist, Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2017 Truck Attack in New York City

Sayfullo Saipov, a 38-year-old man, stole eight innocent lives and devastated the lives of many more in a horrendous terrorist attack on October 31, 2017, in lower Manhattan. On January 26, 2023, a jury convicted Saipov of all 28 counts in the indictment, which charged him with murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS) resulting in death; and damage and destruction to a motor vehicle resulting in death.

On January 26, 2023, the same jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision as to whether to authorize the death penalty for Saipov. U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick will sentence Saipov to the statutorily mandated sentence of life in prison for carrying out the terrorist attack.

According to the indictment, on Halloween afternoon in 2017, Saipov used a 6,000-pound truck to strike more than 20 innocent people on the Hudson River Bike Path in lower Manhattan. Saipov killed eight of his victims and critically injured many others, including a 14-year-old child. Saipov committed his attack after years of devotion to the brutal terrorist organization ISIS and after months of careful planning.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “On October 31, 2017, Sayfullo Saipov stole eight innocent lives – and devastated the lives of many more – in a horrendous terrorist attack. This evil act was fueled by Saipov’s allegiance to ISIS, an allegiance which Saipov proudly maintained after the attack and up through his trial. Today a jury has declined to authorize the death penalty for Saipov, and accordingly the defendant will be subject to a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.”

Saipov’s crimes were predicated on ISIS’s commitment to murder innocent civilians and its disdain for rule of law. Saipov’s actions have highlighted one of the pillars of the rule of law in this country: the right to a full and fair public trial before a jury drawn from the community.

Defendant: Sayfullo Saipov, a 38-year-old man, was sentenced to life in prison for carrying out the terrorist attack on October 31, 2017, in lower Manhattan. The exact criminal charges include murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS) resulting in death; and damage and destruction to a motor vehicle resulting in death. City and state: New York City, New York. EXACT DATE: October 31, 2017. Sentence or outcome: Life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/sayfullo-saipov-be-sentenced-life-prison-2017-truck-attack-isis