Sayfulla Saipov, 29, a native of Uzbekistan, is suspected of a terrorist attack in New York which killed eight people and injured 11 when a pickup driver mowed down cyclists and pedestrians near the World Trade Center, before striking a school bus. The relevant agencies of the Republic of Uzbekistan confirm this suspicion, Jahon said in an official statement.
Saipov was born on February 8, 1988 in Tashkent. In 2005 he graduated from a vocational college and in 2005-2009 studied in Tashkent Institute of Finances. After graduation he worked as an accountant in Tashkent’s Sayokhat hotel. Prior to his departure to the United States, Saipov had no criminal conviction and in general was not on the radar of the Uzbek law enforcement bodies.
Saipov left for the US in 2010 on a diversity immigrant visa. In the last few years, he has been in a civil marriage with a native of Uzbekistan, who was also temporarily residing in the United States. Since then Saipov never traveled to Uzbekistan and did not see his parents who still live in Tashkent.
While in the US, Saipov did not get registered at the Uzbekistan’s diplomatic mission, as it should be done in accordance with current legal norms.
His neighbors in Uzbekistan described Saipov as a very positive person: according to them, he never looked suspicious, always behaved with restraint and friendliness towards others. He was brought up in a well-off family. His parents preached traditional Islam and never had links with any extremist groups.
After moving to the US, Saipov became solitary and was radicalized, which was confirmed by the US media outlets.
President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev sent a message of condolences to President Donald Trump in connection with the terrorist attack in New York. Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed the readiness of the Uzbek authorities to help investigate this terrorist attack.
