The perpetrator of Tuesday's deadly truck attack in New York City was inspired by Islamic State propaganda, law enforcement officials told NBC News. Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, is accused of driving a rental truck into pedestrians on a bike path in lower Manhattan, and a senior official briefed on the investigation said he left an Arabic-language note inside the vehicle that read "ISIS Lives Forever."
An immigrant from Uzbekistan, Saipov formerly lived in Florida and worked as a truck driver; most recently, he lived in New Jersey and worked for Uber. One acquaintance, Kobiljon Matkarov, who knew Saipov in Florida, said the suspected attacker appeared to be a "very happy guy" and that he "liked the U.S."
After exiting his vehicle Tuesday, Saipov was shot in the abdomen by police and taken to a hospital. There, he reportedly bragged about the attack, which left eight dead and 11 more injured, NBC News reports.