Scene of Manhattan terror attack
Scene of Manhattan terror attackReuters

An Islamic extremist who killed eight people with a speeding truck in a 2017 rampage on a popular New York City bike path was convicted Thursday of federal crimes and could face the death penalty, The Associated Press reported.

Sayfullo Saipov bowed his head as he heard the verdict in a Manhattan courtroom just a few blocks from where the attack ended. Prosecutors said the Halloween rampage was inspired by his reverence for the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

The dozen jurors deliberated for about seven hours over two days before convicting Saipov, 34, of 28 counts of crimes that include murder in aid of racketeering and supporting a foreign terrorist organization. Jurors will return to court no earlier than Feb. 6 to hear more evidence to help them decide whether he should be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison.

A death sentence for Saipov would be an extreme rarity in New York. A federal jury in New York has not rendered a death sentence that withstood legal appeals in decades, with the last execution in 1954.

Saipov was charged after the attack with federal terrorism offenses, including providing material support to ISIS and violence and destruction of motor vehicles. He had pleaded not guilty.

Saipov acknowledged through his lawyers that he intended to murder and maim his victims and still believes he had a religious duty to do so.

The defense asked jurors to acquit Saipov of racketeering charges, saying he intended to die a martyr and was not conspiring with the Islamic State organization, despite voluminous amounts of propaganda from the group found on his electronic devices and at his home.

Saipov did not testify at his trial.