New York City terror suspect identified: What we know so far

Information is emerging about the man accused of driving a truck down a crowded Manhattan road Tuesday afternoon, killing eight.

The suspect, identified as Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, 29, is a truck driver with possible residences in New Jersey and Florida. Reports indicate the 29-year-old is an Uzbek national who mainly lived in Paterson, New Jersey, but possibly had a second address in Tampa, Florida.

Newsweek reported that witnesses recalled the man yelling “Allahu Akbar” after he struck a school bus and exited his vehicle. He was reportedly shot in the abdomen when confronting an officer. Police recovered a pellet gun and BB gun from the scene, according to New York City Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill.

WNBC reported that residents would regularly see Saipov, his wife, and their two young children in the Paterson neighborhood. However, conflicting reports stated that he had a girlfriend and three kids.

Kobiljon Matkarov, 37, a friend of Saipov, described him to the New York Post as “very friendly” and claimed he was working as an Uber driver during the summer.

Matkarov said he met Saipov in Florida five years ago, shortly after Saipov immigrated from Uzbekistan. As CrimeOnline previously reported, authorities believe that Saipov has been in the U.S. since 2010.

“He is very good guy, he is very friendly … he is like little brother … he look at me like big brother,” Matkarov told the Post during a phone interview from his home in Miamisburg, Ohio.

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However, Matkarov recalled an instance in June where Saipov drove him and his five kids to John F. Kennedy Airport. There, Matkarov’s son supposedly asked Saipov to take a picture with him and he refused.

“He no like that. He said no,” Matkarov told the paper.

Various reports disclosed that FBI agents are searching a Home Deport in Passaic, New Jersey, where Saipov possibly rented the truck he allegedly used to mow over and kill eight people Tuesday afternoon. Authorities are also searching homes where he possibly lived in Parterson, New Jersey, and Tampa, Florida.

Sources told CBS News that Saipov is a truck driver with no criminal record. Saipov reportedly traveled between New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Ohio. State reports indicated that the 29-year-old registered two automotive-related businesses in Ohio between 2011 and 2013. One of the businesses was a trucking company that had one driver and one truck, according to Business Insider.

The suspect was hospitalized for a gunshot wound in the abdomen. Officials declined to say where he’s being treated or his condition.

[Featured Image: ABC News/screenshot]