NYC truck attack suspect arraigned on terror charges

The man accused of driving a rented truck into pedestrians and cyclists on Halloween faced a federal judge Tuesday. Sayfullo Saipov pleaded not guilty to the terrorism and murder charges.

The attack left eight people dead and at least a dozen wounded.

Saipov, 29, came before U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick to be arraigned on a 22-count indictment that includes the most serious crimes in federal law—murder and aiding a foreign terrorist organization.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Laroche, Amanda Houle, and Andrew Beatty are bringing the case on behalf of the federal government. The prosecutors allege Saipov intentionally set out to take the lives of innocent people on October 31 on a bike path on the West Side near the World Trade Center in order to gain status with ISIS.

Saipov, a legal U.S. resident from Uzbekistan, sat silent throughout the brief hearing. He heard everything said through an Uzbek translator. His attorney, David Patton, had no comment coming out of court.

Saipov's charges are eligible for a death penalty sentence. But the decision about whether to seek the death penalty will probably be made at trial.

The next court hearing will be January 23, 2018.