President Donald Trump has called for the death penalty for Sayfullo Saipov, the unrepentant 29-year-old Uzbekistan immigrant suspected of killing eight people and injuring at least 11 others in a terror attack in New York City. Saipov who came to the U.S. in 2010 via the Diversity Visa Lottery Program allegedly bragged to police from his hospital bed that he would have continued his Halloween massacre had he not crashed into a school bus. He told police he was pleased with his actions and made “no bones” about what he did, sources say.
Responding to Saipov’s reaction to his attack, President Trump, who is from New York City, called for the death penalty in a late night tweet on Wednesday. “NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!” Mr. Trump tweeted. The president doubled down on his call Thursday morning noting that he wished to send Saipov to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, but justice would be delayed.
“Would love to send the NYC terrorist to Guantanamo but statistically that process takes much longer than going through the Federal system,” he said. “There is also something appropriate about keeping him in the home of the horrible crime he committed. Should move fast. DEATH PENALTY!” Mr. Trump added. Saipov allegedly killed eight people on the West Side Highway bicycle path near Houston Street by striking a number of pedestrians and bicyclists along the route with a rented Home Depot truck. Police shot him twice in the abdomen. He was taken to the hospital.
Mr. Trump said he was asking Congress to close the Diversity Lottery Program and “chain migration,” which he said allowed 23 people to potentially come in with him, saying that this “is not acceptable.”
The State of New York has effectively abolished the death penalty, though there are federal crimes that could get the death penalty.
It is important to note, that Mr. Trump is presuming to speak to a judicial issue before the courts while emotions run high. Presidents and other political leaders rarely do this to avoid influencing a jury, which could potentially compromise the case against the defendant.
But now we know what Mr. Trump thinks about the death penalty for religious extremists. Those who follow all of God’s commandments and worship on the 7th day Sabbath will eventually be accused of being religious extremists. See Fundamentals of Education, page 289.
Revelation 13:15 informs us that the United States will have “power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”
“…A decree will finally be issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as deserving of the severest punishment and giving the people liberty, after a certain time, to put them to death.” The Great Controversy, pages 615 and 616.
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