While officials have yet to publicly identify the 29-year-old attacker who was taken into custody and hospitalized after being shot by a police officer, several news outlets identified Saipov as the suspect.
Saipov, who was born in Uzbekistan, has lived in Ohio, Florida, and most recently in Paterson, New Jersey. He has a wife and three children, the FBI confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
Saipov became a permanent US resident in 2010, entering the US with a green card under the Diversity Visa Program, according to ABC. The program is a lottery system for people from countries with low rates of immigration to America.
Saipov, who had a Florida's driver's license, was employed as an Uber driver. A company spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News on Tuesday that he passed a background check and has since been banned from the app.
In a statement, the company said it is "horrified by this senseless act of violence" and has "reached out to law enforcement to provide our full assistance.”
Records in Summit County, Ohio, show a marriage license certified to a Sayfulloh Saipov, then 25 years old, and Nozima Odilova, then 19, in April 2013. The license identifies Saipov’s birthplace as Tashkant, Uzbekistan and notes “truck driver” as his occupation.
According to records and accounts, Saipov has a Class A commercial driver's license in two states, enabling him to operate large, heavy vehicles, like trucks and tractor-trailers.
A person by the name of Sayfulloh Saipov is listed as an agent for Sayf Motors Inc., a trucking company in Ohio. It was registered May 18, 2011. In 2013, he registered another trucking business, Bright Auto LLC, which is still active and registered with the Department of Transportation as having one truck and one driver. Records show the business is located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, at the same address listed on the 2013 marriage license.
According to court records, Saipov was stopped for several offenses in multiple states. Last October, police pulled over 28-year-old Saipov in St. Charles County, Missouri, for a traffic offense. He gave them a Florida address and then failed to appear for his court date in November and a warrant was issued for his arrest in April. He paid the $200 bond to avoid arrest.
In 2012, police in Pennsylvania pulled him over because his vehicle did not meet service criteria and he was driving with a commercial license. He was represented by a lawyer who caters to truckers and other commercial drivers. In March 2015, he was also stopped in Pennsylvania and gave officers a Paterson, New Jersey address and an Ohio address, court records show.
Videos and photos from the scene of the attack Tuesday show the suspect dodging cars in the street after plowing a rental truck into pedestrians and colliding with a school bus.
After crashing into the bus, Saipov got out of the truck "brandishing two handguns" and was shot by a police officer in the abdomen, New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill said. Police recovered a paintball gun and a pellet gun from the scene.
The attacker shouted "allahu akbar" — "God is great" in Arabic — as he got out of the truck, O'Neill said, which "enabled us to label this a terrorist event."
Law enforcement officials told the New York Times that Saipov left handwritten notes in Arabic near the truck pledging allegiance to ISIS. NBC reported that his note said he committed the attack for the terrorist organization.
Saipov reportedly rented the truck from a Home Depot in Passaic, New Jersey. Images showed police swarming the store Tuesday night.
Saipov previously lived at an apartment complex in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Although no one answered the door to his unit, neighbors said they recognized Saipov and saw him frequently.
Resident Steven Newman said he would often say hello to the man when they passed each other outside.
"This is going to be a complete shock to everyone," the 31-year-old told BuzzFeed News, describing the area as "quiet and friendly" and noting that "not much happens other than small-town crime."
Newman said that there is a significant Muslim community in the area and described Saipov as "very observant" based on his beard and dress.
A now-deleted Facebook profile for Sayfulloh Saipov stated that he lived in Cleveland, Ohio, and studied at Moliya, an institution in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The most recent photos on the page were from 2013 and show a young man in a car and a Toyota Avalon with an Ohio license plate that reads "AL KARIN."
Kobiljon Matkarov, a friend of Saipov, told the New York Post that they meet in Florida five years ago, describing the alleged attacker as "very friendly."
Matkarov, 37, said that Saipov was working for Uber and has living in New Jersey since this summer. “He is very good guy, he is very friendly… he is like little brother… he look at me like big brother,” he said.
More about: #Saipov #New-York #Mahnattan
