Handout/Getty
Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Sayfullo Saipov, the alleged terrorist accused of killing eight people on a bike path in New York City last year, according to an Associated Press report. In court papers filed Friday, prosecutors claimed that the attack “met several standards for a death penalty case.” Saipov has pleaded not guilty in the case. President Trump tweeted about the incident last year, declaring that Saipov “SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!” Saipov’s lawyers have argued that the president’s tweet would make it “impossible for the prosecutors to independently decide whether to seek the death penalty.” After Saipov’s arrest, he allegedly told police that he was “inspired” by ISIS videos, and used the truck in the attack to “inflict maximum damage against civilians.” The attack killed eight people and injured 11 others.