The sister of an Uzbek man accused in the New York City truck attack that authorities say was inspired by Islamic State videos says the family is shocked and he never expressed extremist views to them.
Suspected attacker Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov "never had any extreme ideas before," his sister, Umida Saipova, who lives in Tashkent in Uzbekistan, said in a text message to NBC News.
"What happened in the USA was a shocking event for us and a shocking experience for our family," she said. "Certainly, we want to go to USA to help our brother and for a legal case to be justified if possible."
Saipov, 29, was born in Tashkent and came to the United States on a visa through a diversity immigrant visa program in 2010, according to the Uzbek Consulate and U.S. authorities.
