Dramatic courtroom outburst halts trial of NYC bike path terrorist

The death penalty phase in the trial of Sayfullo Saipov, known as the "West Side Highway terrorist," came to a dramatic halt on Thursday afternoon during his father's testimony when his uncle yelled "dirty ISIS bastards," according to the New York Post.

The outburst drew the court case to a close, as his uncle's loud actions were followed by a slamming of his fist on the door to enter the courtroom.

The emotional outbursts began when Saipov's father, Habib Saipov, started crying uncontrollably on the witness stand as the defense attorney David Stern asked Saipov about his feelings towards his son.

"Knowing all you do about your son and what he did do you still love him?" Stern asked.

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Saipov's father wasn't cross-examined by federal prosecutors and his tearful display was in front of the jury.

Saipov's uncle then stood up from his site in the courtroom gallery where the relatives of the convicted terrorist are observing the case.

"Dirty ISIS bastards!" Saipov's uncle said, according to the court interpreter.

Another emotional outburst came from the uncle of a Belgian tourist who died at the hands of Saipov in 2017.

The federal judge, U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick, then cleared the jury from the room.

Saipov drove a rented vehicle down a mile-long stretch of bike path in Manhattan as children and their parents prepared to celebrate Halloween on October 31, 2017, killing eight people.

It was the deadliest attack in New York since the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda hijackings brought down the World Trade Center.

Five of those killed by Saipov were a group of friends from Argentina celebrating 30 years since their high school graduation. At least 12 other people were wounded. The attack only ended when police shot Saipov in the abdomen.

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty in the case despite a moratorium on federal executions under Joe Biden's presidency, announced in July 2021 by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Prosecutors said Saipov planned his attack for a year and chose Halloween deliberately in a bid to kill as many people as possible.

Saipov claimed to have acted in the name of the Islamic State jihadist group, which described him as one of its "soldiers."

With additional reporting by AFP