NYC Attacker Was Uber Driver for Six Months - 1 Nov 2017

(Islamic State flag displayed in NYC) NYC Attacker Was Uber Driver for Six Months - Uzbeki Islamist Immigrant Was Arrested in Multiple States - Had Active Arrest Warrant for Missouri - Passed Uber's 'Rigorous' Background Check

The Islamist attack on civilians in New York City on October 31, 2017 was carried out by a Muslim immigrant in the name of the Islamic State.

The suspect was identified by two law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov. He's from Uzbekistan in Central Asia but had been living in the US since 2010, sources said. Saipov is a legal immigrant.

A senior law enforcement officer told CNN a note, written in English, was found in the truck that said the attack, which unfolded around 3 p.m. on Halloween, was done in the name of the Islamic State.

Law enforcement sources said Saipov most recently lived in New Jersey, in Paterson. He also lived in Florida for a period, sources said.

For the past six months, he was an Uber driver. The company said he passed a background check that the company claims is 'rigorous.' Uber has removed Saipov from the app.

Despite being able to pass Uber's background investigation a casual look through internet records reveals numerous problems with the law for Saipov. He had multiple interactions with law enforcement in several states, online records show. Uber does not seem to be looking very hard at drivers records.

He had traffic citations issued in Missouri and Pennsylvania. He was arrested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol in October 2016 after a warrant was issued when he failed to show in court for a misdemeanor offense. He paid a $200 bond, which he forfeited when he didn't show up in court for his next hearing in November. A guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

There is an active Missouri state warrant out for the arrest of Saipov, but he passed the Uber background check.

Uzbekistan ties

Saipov was a Muslim and a supporter of the hardline Islamic State. Saipov came to the US under the Obama administrations lax rules that considered Muslims a top priority to help come to America.

Authorities are sure to look at whether the suspect returned to Uzbekistan since he moved to the United States seven years ago, CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said. "There has been a significant problem with jihadism in Uzbekistan," he said. According to Cruickshank there are two large jihadi groups in the country. One of them is the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, which is affiliated with the Islamic State.

In April, an Uzbeki Muslim immigrant to Sweden, who claimed allegiance to the Islamic State, was arrested after an Islamic truck attack killed five people in Stockholm.

New York City’s annual Halloween parade Tuesday night was the scene of additional militarization, with the attack serving as a pretext for a massive police deployment. NYPD Chief of Department Carlos Gomez told a news conference: “We will proceed with the parade and certainly we’ve added more resources, more police officers, heavy weapons teams, blocker vehicles on the street leading to the route as well as more sand truck[s]. There’s also heavy weapons teams being deployed throughout the city at key, iconic locations.”

Eric Philips, de Blasio’s press secretary, tweeted, “The Halloween Parade will go on, with NYPD dramatically increasing presence (personnel, blocker trucks, long guns etc).”