Sister of New York attack suspect claims he may have been brainwashed

Umida Saipova appealed to President Donald Trump to ensure her brother gets a fair trial.

family had been shocked to see Saipov grow a long beard after he got married in 2013.

Umida Saipova told Radio Free Europe (RFE) that her family believed that her brother may have been brainwashed.

”We don’t know who has brainwashed him,“Saipova said. ”Perhaps he’s become part of some organised group. I don’t know, honestly, how long it will take for his head to get rid of that poison, but I‘m sure he will come to his senses, God willing.”

She said she had spoken to her brother the day before the attack. “He was in a good mood. It was a usual, good conversation,” she told RFE.

Saipov’s mother, Mukaddas, told Reuters she last saw her son in August when she visited the United States. The attack was a “total shock” to the family, she said.

“I was shocked by the news and I have been in hospital (since then) until this afternoon,” she said. Mukaddas said Sayfullo told her in August he missed Tashkent. She wanted to bring him home, but could not do that because his youngest child was only 20 days old, she said.

Sayfullo never complained about his life in the United States and was able to support his family and help his parents at the same time, she said.

“He was kind with all of his friends,” Mukaddas said.

“No, he was not religious and never visited mosques because he was always busy with studying and then working.”

Trump has tweeted of Saipov: “should move fast. DEATH PENALTY!”

Umida Saipova told she and her family hoped her brother would not be sentenced to death in some rushed show trial. Amid unconfirmed reports that the Uzbek authorities are questioning her family, she added that she did not know where her father and uncle were.