The U.S. Justice Department
released the below information:
Today, a grand jury returned
a twenty-two count Indictment against Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipovm, 29, of
Paterson, New Jersey, in connection with Saipov’s alleged terrorist attack in
lower Manhattan on Oct. 31, which killed eight people and injured twelve more.
Attorney General Jeff
Sessions, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security Dana J.
Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim for the Southern District of New York,
Assistant Director in Charge William F. Sweeney Jr., of the FBI’s New York Field
Office and Commissioner James P. O’Neill of the NYPD made the announcement.
The Indictment charges Saipov
with eight counts of murder in aid of racketeering, twelve counts of attempted
murder in aid of racketeering, one count of providing and attempting to provide
material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and one count
of violence and destruction of a motor vehicle resulting in death. This case has been assigned to U.S. District
Judge Vernon S. Broderick.
Saipov was initially arrested
on a Complaint and presented before the Honorable Barbara Moses on Nov. 1. He was ordered detained and has been in
federal custody since his arrest.
“As alleged in this indictment, Sayfullo
Saipov murdered eight innocent people and injured many more in a calculated act
of terrorism in the heart of one of our great cities,” said Attorney General
Sessions. “People have a right to
safety walking down a sidewalk or riding a bike, and we will not change our resolve
to confront these threats both at home and abroad. I am especially proud today of the law
enforcement officers who acted quickly and courageously to respond and to
protect people from further harm. We
continue to offer our assistance, our support and our prayers to the victims of
this attack and to all the people of New York City.”
“Consumed by hate and a
twisted ideology, Sayfullo Saipov allegedly barreled down a pedestrian walkway
and bicycle path on a sunny afternoon on the West Side of Manhattan, killing
eight innocent people and injuring at least a dozen others,” said Acting U.S.
Attorney Kim. “As the scores of videos
and images on his cellphone showed, Saipov’s depraved use of a rental truck as
a weapon of terror was allegedly in support of the terrorist organization
ISIS. As of today, Saipov stands
indicted of material support of terrorism, as well as eight counts of murder
and 12 counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering. Like many terrorists before him, Saipov will
now face justice in an American court.
And like New York City’s response to his alleged attack, we expect that
justice in this case will be swift, firm, and resolute.”
“When Sayfullo Saipov carried
out his brutal attack last month, his intentions were to inflict significant
damage, death and injury to innocent victims and terrorize this city,” said
Assistant Director in Charge Sweeney.
“We announce today’s indictment with the understanding that nothing can
ever reverse the unfortunate events of that day, or alleviate the pain and
sorrow of the victims’ families. Today’s
indictment should be a signal though that the rule of law will always prevail
and we are dedicated to holding this perpetrator and anyone else who threatens
to disrupt our most basic freedoms accountable for their criminal actions.”
As alleged in the Indictment
and the Complaint:
Islamic State of Iraq and
Al-Sham
ISIS is a foreign terrorist
organization based in the Middle East and Africa whose publicly stated purpose
is the establishment of an Islamic state or caliphate based in the Middle East
and Africa that encompasses all Muslims worldwide. ISIS has pursued its objective through, among
other things, indiscriminate killing and deliberate targeting of civilians,
mass executions and extrajudicial killings, persecution of individuals and
communities on the basis of their religion, nationality, or ethnicity,
kidnapping of civilians, forced displacement of Shia communities and minority
groups, killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual
violence. ISIS has recruited thousands
of foreign fighters from across the globe to assist with its efforts to expand
its so-called caliphate in Iraq, Syria and other locations in Africa and the
Middle East and has leveraged technology to spread its violent extremist
ideology and for incitement to commit terrorist acts around the world.
ISIS, including its
leadership, membership and associates, constitutes an “enterprise,” as that
term is defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 1959(b)(2) — that is,
a group of individuals associated in fact, although not a legal entity, which
is engaged in, and the activities of which affect, interstate and foreign
commerce. ISIS members and associates
make and have made public statements and issued public declarations, which,
among other things: (i) proclaimed and acknowledged acts of violence had been
committed by ISIS; (ii) threatened future acts of violence if ISIS’s demands
were not met; and (iii) were intended to promote and foster the prestige and
standing of ISIS.
ISIS has specifically
distributed propaganda designed to encourage ISIS followers to commit acts of
violence using vehicles as weapons. For
example, the July 2016 issue of Dabiq, ISIS’s then-official magazine, praised
the “brother” who answered “the Islamic State’s calls to target nations
participating in the Crusader coalition fighting the Caliphate” by “killing
more than 80 people and injuring more than 300 others” with a truck in an
attack that occurred in Nice, France on or about July 14, 2016. In September 2016, ISIS changed the name of
its official magazine from Dabiq to Rumiyah.
In November 2016, ISIS released Rumiyah, Issue 3, which has an article
titled “Just Terror Tactics,” which again focused on a vehicle attack as a primary
attack weapon with a secondary attack using a knife or gun to maximize death
and terror.
The Oct. 31, Truck Attack
On Oct. 31, at approximately
3:00 p.m., Saipov drove a rented flatbed truck (the “Truck”) from New Jersey
over the George Washington Bridge into New York City. After Saipov entered New York City, he
proceeded in the Truck to the West Side Highway and began traveling southbound.
Once Saipov was in the vicinity of Houston Street in Manhattan, he drove the
Truck onto the bike lane and pedestrian walkway of the West Side Highway. Saipov then drove down the walkway for
several blocks, striking numerous civilians.
Saipov eventually collided with a school bus, which was carrying
occupants in the vicinity of West Street and Chambers Street, at which point
the Truck came to a halt.
After Saipov collided with
the school bus, he exited the driver’s door of the Truck with two objects in
his hands that appeared to be firearms.
Moments after Saipov got out of the Truck, he yelled, in substance and in
part, “Allahu Akbar,” which is an Arabic phrase that translates to “God is
Great.”
Saipov was shot by a law
enforcement officer and taken into custody.
Law enforcement officers subsequently recovered in the vicinity of the
Truck, among other things, a paintball gun, a pellet gun, a stun gun and three
knives. Law enforcement officers also
recovered, approximately ten feet from the driver’s door of the Truck, a
document that contained, among other things, the Arabic text for “No God but
God and Muhammad is his Prophet” and “Islamic Supplication. It will endure.” “It will endure” is commonly used to refer to
ISIS. Cellphones recovered from the Truck contained, among other things, videos
and images of ISIS propaganda and internet searches for truck rentals and for
Halloween in New York City.
After Saipov was taken into
custody, he was transferred to Bellevue Hospital, where he made statements to
law enforcement officers after waiving his Miranda rights. During that interview, Saipov stated, among
other things, the following:
Saipov was inspired to carry
out the Truck attack by ISIS videos he had watched on his cellular phone.
Approximately one year ago,
Saipov began planning an attack in the United States. Approximately two months
ago, he decided to use a truck to inflict maximum damage against
civilians. On or about Oct. 22, Saipov
rented a truck so he could practice making turns in advance of his attack.
Saipov planned to use the
Truck to strike pedestrians in the vicinity of the West Side Highway and then
proceed to the Brooklyn Bridge to continue to strike pedestrians. Saipov wanted to kill as many people as he
could. Saipov chose Oct. 31, Halloween,
for the attack because he believed there would be more civilians on the street
for the holiday.
Saipov wanted to display ISIS
flags in the front and back of the Truck during the attack, but decided against
it because he did not want to draw attention to himself. Saipov requested to display ISIS’s flag in
his hospital room and stated that he felt good about what he had done.
Eight individuals died from
the injuries they sustained as a result of the Truck driving on the walkway and
at least twelve additional individuals were injured.
* * *
Saipov was initially arrested
by the NYPD on Oct. 31. The defendant is
charged with:
Counts 1-8: Murder in Aid of
Racketeering with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or death on each
count.
Counts 9-20: Attempted Murder
in Aid of Racketeering with a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment on
each count.
Count 21: Providing and
Attempting to Provide Material Support to a Designated Foreign Terrorist
Organization Resulting in Death with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Count 22: Violence and
Destruction of Motor Vehicles Resulting in Death with a maximum sentence of
life imprisonment or death.
The charges contained in the
Indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless
and until proven guilty. The maximum potential sentences in this case are
prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only,
as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Attorney General Sessions,
Mr. Boente, and Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the
FBI, the NYPD and the Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations
(HSI). Saipov’s arrest is the result of
the close cooperative efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern
District of New York, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force — which consists of
law enforcement officers of the FBI, NYPD, HSI and other agencies — and the
U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division. Attorney General Sessions, Mr. Boente, and
Mr. Kim also thanked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Gang
Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and Capital Case Section for their
exceptional assistance.
The case is being prosecuted
by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew D. Beaty, Amanda Houle and Matthew Laroche
of the Southern District of New York, and Trial Attorney Rebecca Magnone of the
National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
