ISIS says NY attacker is its caliphate soldier

Claims responsibility for attack in New York without providing proof

Islamic State has claimed responsibility, without providing proof, for a truck attack earlier this week that killed eight people in the deadliest assault on New York City since September 11, 2001.

The militant group on Thursday described accused attacker Sayfullo Saipov, 29, as “one of the caliphate soldiers” in a weekly issue of its AlNaba newspaper.

The Uzbek immigrant was charged in federal court on Wednesday with acting in support of Islamic State by plowing a rented pickup truck down a popular riverside bike trail, crushing pedestrians and cyclists and injuring a dozen people in addition to those killed.

According to the criminal complaint against him, Saipov told investigators he was inspired by watching Islamic State

One of the soldiers of the Islamic State attacked a number of crusaders on a street in New York City — Islamic State’s al-Naba paper

propaganda videos on his cellphone, felt good about what he had done.

US President Donald Trump, who has called for Saipov to receive the death penalty, said in a Twitter post that Islamic State had claimed as their soldier the “Degenerate Animal” who killed and wounded “the wonderful people on the West Side” of Lower Manhattan. “Based on that, the Military has hit ISIS “much harder” over the last two days. They will pay a big price for every attack on us!” Mr Trump tweeted.