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New York attacker aligns himself with IS - authorities

NEW YORK, Nov 2 (KUNA) -- New York City terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov was so proud of the carnage he caused that he asked investigators if he could display the ISIS flag in his hospital room, authorities said.
"[He] stated that he felt good about what he had done," a criminal complaint against the 29-year-old Uzbekistan native said according to NBC News.
Saipov also wanted to put the terror group's flags on the rented truck he allegedly used to plow into a Manhattan bike path but decided against it because it could draw attention before he carried out the attack that killed eight and injured 11, authorities said.
The details emerged in court papers as Saipov was charged Wednesday evening with one count of material support to a terrorist organization and one count of violence and destruction of a motor vehicle.
After his arrest, the 29-year-old native of Uzbekistan waived his right to remain silent and told investigators he had become radicalized by watching ISIS videos on his phone and was inspired by IS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi's call for revenge on the United States, the federal complaint says.
He said he began planning an attack a year ago and decided to use a truck two months ago, according to prosecutors. He rented a truck more than a week ago to practice making turns and chose Halloween as the attack date because he thought it would more crowded on the street, they said.
The attack, which was the deadliest terror operation in New York City since September 11, 2001, was straight out of the IS playbook, officials said.
"He seems to have followed the regimen prescribed," said John Miller, the deputy New York police commissioner for intelligence, referring to a manual called "Just Terror Tactics," which IS had published late last year. (end) asf.gta