Politics

Just One Of The Last Five Islamic Terrorists In US Was Native-Born

Alex Pfeiffer White House Correspondent
Font Size:

The alleged terrorist behind Tuesday’s truck attack in New York City is the fourth immigrant to carry out a Jihadi terrorist attack on American soil since early 2016.

Sayfullo Saipov, 29, was arrested Tuesday after he allegedly killed 8 and injured 13 in New Y0rk City. Saipov said he committed the attack in the name of the Islamic State, NBC New York reported.

The alleged terrorist was born in Uzbekistan and gained a permanent resident visa (green card) in 2010 due to the Diversity Visa Lottery, which benefits around 50,000 immigrants from nations without a high level of immigration to the U.S.

The previous Islamic terrorist attack in the U.S. was committed in November 2016 by a Somali refugee, Abdul Razak Ali Artan. Artan like Saipov used a vehicle as a weapon on the campus of Ohio State University and then ran out with a knife and stabbed people before being shot dead. Eleven people were injured due to the attack.

Two months prior, in September 2016, another terrorist attack occurred in New York City. Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 29-year old Afghanistan national, set off pressure-cooker bombs in the streets that injured 30 people. He was convicted in October, and prosecutors said Rahimi thought he was a “soldier in a holy war against Americans.”

The one American-born terrorist in this group of five is Omar Mateen, the perpetrator of the Orlando massacre that left 49 dead. Mateen reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS. Mateen’s parents were Afghani immigrants, but he was born in New York.

Before this, Mohammad Barry, a native of Guinea who came to the U.S. in 2000, entered a Columbus, Ohio restaurant in February 2016 and injured four with a machete before being shot dead. Barry yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack, according to the restaurant’s Jewish owner.