GHOULISH

Terrorist Requested ISIS Flag for His Hospital Room, FBI Says

Saipov told authorities he chose Halloween because there'd be “more civilians.”

Sayfullo Saipov requested an ISIS flag to display in his Bellevue hospital room just after he allegedly killed eight people in a terrorist attack in New York City on Tuesday, according to the criminal complaint against him. Saipov — who waived his Miranda rights, the FBI said, and "stated he felt good about what he had done" — said he considered displaying the ISIS flag in the front and back of the truck but decided against it for fear of drawing attention. He chose Halloween for the attack, he told law enforcement, "because there would be more civilians on the street." According to the complaint, which said that the 90 videos recovered from his cellphone including one showing a beheading and another with instructions on building an improvised explosive device, Saipov intended to "proceed to the Brooklyn Bridge to strike pedestrians." 

Wednesday evening, Saipov was wheeled, shackled, into a courtroom by court personnel for his initial presentment where he responded with “yes, ma’am” after judge Barbara Moses asked through a translator whether he understood the proceedings. He also thanked Moses for appointed him a lawyer, federal defender David Patton who said that Saipov agreed to detention and expected to be transferred to one of the two federal administrative prisons in New York City. “How we treat Mr. Saipov in this judicial process will say a lot more about us than it will about him,” Patton told reporters after the hearing.

—Katie Zavadski

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