On Halloween afternoon in 2017, the attacker used a 6,000-pound truck to strike over 20 innocent people on the Hudson River Bike Path in lower Manhattan, including a 14-year-old child.
Sayfullo Saipov, 34, was found guilty of all 28 counts in the indictment, which included murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, attempted murder, and providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, with his objective being gaining entrance into ISIS.
According to U.S. authorities, Saipov's surviving victims suffered "amputations, serious brain injuries, life-altering physical injuries, and significant psychological trauma."
Saipov executed his attack after years of devotion to the terrorist organization and months of careful planning. At the time of the attack, he carried a note with the ISIS flag and a rallying cry. While being held in a hospital after the attack, he proudly informed the FBI that he had carried out the attack in response to calls from the ISIS leader and expressed pride in his actions.
Additionally, Saipov smiled when describing his attack and attempted to hang an ISIS flag in his hospital room.
Judge Broderick, presiding over the case, imposed the maximum penalty for each count of conviction, ordering that Saipov's sentences for murder and attempted murder of specific victims would run consecutively to all other sentences imposed. In total, Saipov received eight consecutive life sentences, 260 years in prison to run consecutively, and two additional life sentences to run concurrently with each other and all other sentences imposed. The 260 years in prison represents the maximum penalty for the 18 attempted murders Saipov committed, including the attempted murders of four children.
"These eight life sentences account for the eight lives Saipov stole when he committed his vicious ISIS attack," said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York.
Saipov's act was lauded by ISIS as one of the most prominent attacks in the United States. In the years that followed, he continued to exhibit his devotion to the terrorist organization through court statements, recorded telephone calls, and writings found in his prison cell. He also made statements about eliminating enemies of ISIS and threatening harm to corrections officers.
"Although more than five years have passed since Sayfullo Saipov committed this horrific, senseless attack in the name of ISIS, the FBI never ceased in our pursuit of justice for the victims and their loved ones," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
During the sentencing, the victims and their families addressed the court, sharing their pain and devastation. Many described the terror caused by Saipov and the ongoing physical and psychological trauma they endure.
While the sentencing provides some closure for the victims' families, the attack serves as a reminder of the persistent threat of terrorism and the need for continued vigilance in countering extremist ideologies.
