New York terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov was a driver for Uber, the company confirms. He has been accused of driving a truck into a crowd near the World Trade Center in Manhattan on Tuesday, reportedly killing at least eight and injuring 11 more.
“We are horrified by this senseless act of violence. Our hearts are with the victims and their families. We have reached out to law enforcement to provide our full assistance,” said an Uber spokesperson.
Uber said that Saipov has been a driver in New Jersey for the past six months. He’s taken over 1400 trips.
29-year-old Saipov previously passed background checks and was not involved with other known safety incidents. Uber is now in contact with FBI about the incident and has banned the suspect from the Uber app.
This isn’t the first time an Uber driver has been accused of murder. Last year, a Michigan Uber driver allegedly murdered six people and even picked up passengers between shootings.
The latest incident may cause Uber to further evaluate its background checks. The company says it checks for criminal records and traffic violations.
Passengers can also rate drivers on a 5-point scale, which is supposed to help the company identify problematic behavior.
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Uber says it now has more than two million drivers worldwide.
