Federal prosecutors were due to make opening statements on Monday in the case of Sayfullo Saipov, suspected of using a truck to run down and kill eight people on a New York City bike path on Halloween night 2017.
Saipov has pleaded not guilty to a 28-count indictment that included charges of murder and providing material support to ISIS, which the U.S. has labeled a terrorist organization.
Prosecutors say Saipov used a Home Depot rental truck on October 31, 2017 to run down people on a pedestrian and bike path along Manhattan’s West Side Highway as a way of gaining membership in ISIS, also known as the Islamic State.
Saipov chose Halloween because he thought more people would be on the streets, according to prosecutors. They say he also planned to attack people on the Brooklyn Bridge.
Among those killed were five Argentinian tourists and a Belgian tourist. More than a dozen other people were severely injured.
If convicted, Saipov potentially faces the death penalty.
