An Islamic extremist who killed eight people when he intentionally sped a truck down a crowded New York City bike path in 2017 was convicted Thursday of federal crimes and could face the death penalty.

Sayfullo Saipov, 34, shouted "God is great" in Arabic as he emerged from the truck during the rampage in Manhattan. Saipov, wielding pellet and paintball guns in his hands, was shot by a police officer who thought they were real firearms.

Now, Saipov could face the death penalty for what was the city's deadliest terrorist attack since 9/11.

Executing Saipov, a citizen of Uzbekistan, would be an extreme rarity in New York. The state no longer has capital punishment, and a federal jury in New York has not rendered a death sentence that withstood legal appeals in decades, with the last execution in 1963.

Six people died at the scene of the Halloween attack and two more in the hospital. Twelve others were injured.

Five of those killed were from a group of nine Argentine friends visiting the city, and a 31-year-old woman from Belgium who was visiting the city also died. Two Americans were also killed: a 32-year-old financial worker and a 23-year-old software engineer.

"His actions were senseless, horrific, and there's no justification for them," defense attorney David Patton told the jury during the trial.

Several victims were left with permanent injuries, including a woman who lost her legs.

Prosecutors said Saipov intentionally used a Home Depot rental truck to mow down people along the West Side Highway on Oct. 31, 2017, hoping to gain membership in Islamic State.

According to prosecutors, Saipov chose Halloween because he thought more people would be on the streets, and also planned to strike the Brooklyn Bridge.

Saipov moved legally to the U.S. from Uzbekistan in 2010 and lived in Ohio and Florida before joining his family in Paterson, New Jersey.

Shortly after the attack, then-President Donald Trump called for Saipov's execution and reinstated federal executions after a 17-year moratorium in 2020.

Under President Biden, federal executions were once again halted. But last autumn the Justice Department said it would seek the death penalty for Saipov.

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