Sayfullo Saipov. Missouri Department of Corrections / AP
Sayfullo Saipov. Missouri Department of Corrections / AP
Sayfullo Saipov. Missouri Department of Corrections / AP
Sayfullo Saipov. Missouri Department of Corrections / AP

New York City terrorist convicted of killing eight on bike path


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A man who killed eight people with a speeding pick-up truck in a 2017 rampage on a popular New York City bike path was convicted on Thursday of 28 federal crimes and could face the death penalty.

Sayfullo Saipov bowed his head as he heard the verdict in the trial for a Halloween attack that prosecutors said was inspired by his reverence for ISIS.

Saipov was tried in a Manhattan courtroom just a few blocks from where the attack ended.

The 12 jurors deliberated for about seven hours over two days before convicting Sapoiv of crimes including murder in aid of racketeering and supporting a foreign terrorist organisation.

The jury will return to court in days to hear more evidence to help them decide whether he should be executed or spend his life in prison.

A death sentence for Saipov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, would be an extreme rarity in New York. The state no longer has capital punishment and the last state execution was in 1963.

A federal jury in New York has not ordered a death sentence that withstood legal appeals in decades, with the last execution in 1954.

Even before the trial, there was little doubt Saipov was a killer.

His lawyers conceded to the jury that he rented a pickup truck near his New Jersey home, steered it on to the path along the Hudson River and mowed down cyclists for blocks before crashing into a school bus near the World Trade Centre.

He emerged from his lorry yelling "Allahu Akbar", with pellet and paintball guns in his hands before he was shot by a police officer who thought the guns were real.

The vehicle attack killed a woman visiting from Belgium with her family, five friends from Argentina and two Americans. It left others with permanent injuries, including a woman who lost her legs.

“His actions were senseless, horrific, and there’s no justification for them,” defence lawyer David Patton told the jury during the trial.

A makeshift memorial on the New York City bike path where eight people were killed in 2017. AP
A makeshift memorial on the New York City bike path where eight people were killed in 2017. AP

The defence asked jurors to acquit Saipov of racketeering charges, saying he intended to die a martyr and was not conspiring with ISIS, despite large amounts of propaganda from the group found on his devices and at his home.

Prosecutors said Saipov attacked civilians to impress ISIS so he could become a member and appeared pleased with his work, smiling when he spoke to an FBI agent afterwards.

Among those testifying were several family members from Belgium who were injured in the attack.

Aristide Melissas, a father, said he had challenged family members to race their bikes to the World Trade Centre, with the loser paying for ice cream.

Mr Melissas's skull was fractured and he underwent brain surgery.

Saipov’s lawyers have said the death sentence process was irrevocably tainted by former president Donald Trump, who tweeted a day after the attack that he “should get death penalty”.

US President Joe Biden instituted a moratorium on executions for federal crimes after taking office.

Until Saipov's trial, the Justice Department, under Attorney General Merrick Garland, had not launched any new attempt to obtain the death penalty in a federal case.

But Mr Garland has allowed US prosecutors to continue advocating for capital punishment in cases from previous administrations.

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Company Profile

Name: Thndr
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8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint

Greenheart Organic Farms 

This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.

www.greenheartuae.com

Modibodi  

Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.

www.modibodi.ae

The Good Karma Co

From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes. 

www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco

Re:told

One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.

www.shopretold.com

Lush

Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store. 

www.mena.lush.com

Bubble Bro 

Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.

www.bubble-bro.com

Coethical 

This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.

www.instagram.com/coethical

Eggs & Soldiers

This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.

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Doubleday

SPECS
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How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

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Updated: January 26, 2023, 9:54 PM`