The NYC terror attack suspect had been planning for weeks and did it 'in the name of ISIS,' NYPD says

• The suspect accused of killing eight people in a terror attack in Manhattan on Tuesday did it in the name of ISIS, police said.
• Investigators found a note written in Arabic near the scene of the attack, which claimed the Islamic State would endure forever.
• Police said it appears the suspect had been planning the attack weeks in advance.

---

The man accused of killing eight people in New York City on Tuesday when he rammed a rented pickup truck down a lower Manhattan bicycle path had carried out his attack in the name of ISIS, police said Wednesday.

Police have identified the suspect as 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, an immigrant originally from Uzbekistan who arrived in the US in 2010.

Saipov allegedly planned his attack for a number of weeks in advance, John Miller, the deputy police commissioner for intelligence, said at a press conference.

"He did this in the name of ISIS," Miller said. He said a note written in Arabic was found near the vehicle after the attack and contained a message that the Islamic State would endure forever.

"He appears to have followed, almost exactly to a tee, the instructions that ISIS has put out in their social media channels before with instructions to their followers on how to carry out such an attack," Miller said.

The attack began shortly after 3 p.m. on Tuesday, when Saipov careened his vehicle down the bike path, striking pedestrians and cyclists before colliding with a school bus, police said.

Saipov then allegedly sprang from the truck, brandishing two fake guns that were later found to be a pellet gun and a paintball gun, and shouting "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is great."

A police officer then shot Saipov in the abdomen. Saipov was placed under arrest and brought to Bellevue Hospital, where he has reportedly been boasting about the attack from his bed.

Sources told CBS News that Saipov made "no bones" about his attack, that he is pleased with his actions, and he remains unapologetic.

Though Saipov apparently dedicated his attack to ISIS, investigators have characterized the attack as a "lone wolf" incident, meaning he did not receive support from the terror group and likely acted alone.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo echoed that characterization on Wednesday, saying in a statement that Saipov was "radicalized domestically."

Alex Lockie contributed reporting.