The 29-year-old man suspected of killing eight people and injuring several others when he mowed them down driving a Home Depot truck in New York City has been identified as a Florida resident originally from Uzbekistan.
Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov was taken into custody by police after he was shot in the leg while trying to flee the attack scene shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ in downtown Manhattan not far from the World Trade Center on Tuesday afternoon.
Saipov is an Uzbekh national who came to the U.S. in 2010, according to NBC. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying a Florida identification card that listed a Tampa address.
According to online records, Saipov lived in Ohio at some point and also has a minor criminal record for traffic offenses in Missouri and Pennsylvania.
In addition, he also has a previous address in New Jersey. Court records show he was stopped in Mount Holly Springs Borough, Pennsylvania in March 2015 and provided cops with an address in Paterson, New Jersey.
Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, the 29-year-old man suspected of killing eight people and injuring several others when he mowed them down driving a Home Depot truck in New York City, has been identified as a Florida resident originally from Uzbekistan
Saipov is pictured above on the ground shortly after the incident Tuesday when police shot him in his leg
Saipov allegedly killed at least eight people when he mowed them down on the West Side Highway bike path on Tuesday afternoon. He is pictured above after emerging from the vehicle with a fake firearm in his hand
Authorities have not said where he rented the Home Depot truck or how long he had been in New York City prior to the deadly incident on Tuesday.
The FBI has taken over responsibility for the investigation from the NYPD and is considering the attack to be likely terrorism.
The horrific attack happened shortly after 3pm when the driver, identified as 29-year-old Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, mounted the bike path while driving a Home Depot truck on the West Side Highway a few blocks north of Chambers Street.
After striking several cyclists and runners, he came to a stop when his truck crashed into a school bus beneath the TriBeCa Bridge.
Officials say Saipov, who is originally from Uzbekistan, then emerged with imitation guns in his hand and was shot in the leg by police. He survived and was taken to hospital but at least eight innocent people were killed and several others were left injured.
The truck mounted the bicycle path on the West Side Highway a few blocks north of Chambers Street in Tribeca in lower Manhattan
The rented Home Depot truck which plowed through cyclists and runners on a bicycle path on the West Side Highway in lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon. Its driver was shot in the leg by police and is in hospital
The FBI and NYPD are now treating the incident as an act of terror. CNN cited witnesses and law enforcement officials who said the man shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ – which means God is great in Arabic – during the attack.