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A A federal judge said Friday that prosecutors in a terrorist case in New York could ask for the death sentence for the suspect, qualifying the defense's argument that President Trump's tweets on capital punishment had politicized the death penalty. 39, case of "pure speculation".
The Uzbek immigrant Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 31, was arrested after apparently plying a bicycle lane near the World Trade Center in October 2017 with a truck truck, killing eight people and injuring at least a dozen people. He reportedly told the authorities that he had been inspired by videos of the Islamic State using similar attack tactics.
Saipov was indicted on 28 counts, including eight counts of murder, 18 counts of attempted murder, and other terror – related chiefs for the 31 October incident. He pleaded not guilty.
Federal prosecutors had filed a petition requesting the death penalty for Saipov shortly after the attack, which would constitute the deadliest terrorist incident in the city since 9/11. They cited his support for the Islamic State and claimed that he had committed his crime "in a particularly heinous, cruel and depraved manner," according to CNN.
Saipov's lawyers, however, claimed that the president's tweets following the attack had skewed the then Attorney General Jeff Sessions – who had called for the death penalty – and had finally prevented from remaining impartial.
A New York terrorist was happy when he asked to suspend the flag of the Islamic State in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, seriously injured at age 12. SHOULD GET A DEATH PENALTY!
– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
November 2, 2017
"A New York terrorist was happy when he asked to suspend the flag of the Islamic State in his hospital room.It killed 8 people, including 12 seriously injured.SHOW WOULD GET A SENTENCE OF DEATH!" Trump had written on Twitter a day after the attack.
The defense had asked the judge to exclude the death penalty or to appoint an independent prosecutor.
But Judge Vernon Broderick of the Southern District of New York said the defense had not presented any evidence of bias and rejected the motion. Broderick stated that federal prosecutors had followed the usual procedures during the deliberations necessary to obtain the death penalty. He further rejected the defense's request to establish an independent prosecutor.
If Saipov is found guilty, a decision as to whether he will receive the death penalty or not will come in a second phase of his trial.
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