Terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov asked for an ISIS flag to be displayed in his New York City hospital room, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday.
Police said Saipov, 29, hit several innocent people with a rental truck on Tuesday afternoon in what officials said was a deliberate act of terror — the worst in the U.S. since 9/11. A criminal complaint filed Wednesday alleges that Saipov asked for the flag to be hung in his hospital room at Bellevue Hospital, where he’s being treated for a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
The Uzbek national, who lived in New Jersey and had a Tampa, Florida ID, reportedly left a note in his truck pledging allegiance to ISIS.
FBI officials said Saipov waived his Miranda rights and said he “felt good about what he had done,” the complaint said. Saipov also told investigators he considered displaying the ISIS flag in the front and back of the pickup truck, but was worried it would draw too much attention.
The complaint went on to say Saipov specifically chose Halloween for the attack date because he thought “there would be more civilians on the street.” Originally, Saipov planned to strike people on the West Side Highway then head to the Brooklyn Bridge to continue the attack. He told investigators he practiced maneuvering his truck for a few weeks.
Officials said they recovered nearly 100 videos from his phone; some showed instructions on how to build a bomb while others showed beheadings. Saipov faces charges of providing material to support a foreign terrorist organization (ISIS) and using a motor vehicle as a weapon.
