Abu Mohammad says he 'totally gets what he [Saipov] did'

A worshipper who knew terror truck driver Sayfullo Saipov and attended the same mosque says he 'totally gets what he did'.

Abu Mohammad, who stopped to talk to DailyMail.com after leaving afternoon prayer service at the Omar Mosque in Paterson, New Jersey, on Wednesday, said he last saw the suspect at the mosque about two months ago and first set eyes on him there two years back.

'I didn't know him by name, but I would see him there every two to three months,' the 46-year-old Pakistani national, said.

A cement mixer by trade and living in the U.S. now for nearly three decades, Abu described the murder suspect as having a 'beautiful smile, was a nice guy, and someone who never cursed. He called me brother and I did the same back at him.'

Abu railed against the U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, particularly blaming the President Bush senior and son era for escalating tensions.

'I totally get what he did,' Abu said of the suspect. 'It's in response to Muslims dying every day as a result of this ongoing conflict. Why doesn't the media cover that? The U.S. needs to get out and let us run our own affairs. But as long as they meddle and interfere, these terrorist attacks will continue to happen.'

A supporter of President Donald Trump and his immigration policies, Abu would later get into a scuffle at the mosque before a late afternoon prayer service and was booted out, with one worshiper branding him an ISIS sympathizer.

'They don't like me because I voted for Trump,' he said in a huff on the sidewalk out front.

Saipov, an Uzbek native, was a Muslim who attended a 'suspicious' mosque in New Jersey and was allegedly radicalized sometime after moving to the U.S. seven years ago, it emerged on Wednesday. He killed eight and injured 12 in lower Manhattan on Halloween.

According to NorthJersey.com, the NYPD has been studying the Omar Mosque in Paterson, near Saipov's home, as a possible location for 'budding terrorist conspiracies'.

Sayfullo Saipov (seen left and right) killed eight and injured 12 in lower Manhattan on Tuesday

Abu Mohammad stopped to talk to DailyMail.com after leaving afternoon prayer service at the Omar Mosque in Paterson (pictured), New Jersey, on Wednesday

Ken (Khader) Abuassab, founder and director of the American Arab Civic Organization, an outreach program in the state of New Jersey and based in Paterson denounced the attack and said Saipov's actions do not reflect the beliefs of Muslim people.

'I am shocked by this violent act, condemn what this individual did and sympathize with our neighbors in New York City. Islam is not responsible for this foolish act. We are a peaceful people and wish to live in harmony with everyone, whether Christian or Jewish,' he told DailyMail.com.

'As a people, we respect the lives of others and it is not our intent to hurt or kill anyone. We have an open door policy at our mosques in New Jersey and welcome all to visit and pray.'

When asked about the surveillance by law enforcement of the nearby Omar Mosque about a decade ago, he said nothing was found untoward and reiterated its open door policy.

And despite the mosque's proximity to the suspect's home - just around the corner from his apartment - he insisted that he had no official affiliation.

However, he did acknowledge that he could have prayed there on occasion. It holds prayer services five times daily.

Carlos Batista, 23, who lives two doors away from Sayfullo Saipov in Paterson, New Jersey said the Uzbek immigrant had the Home Depot truck for about three weeks and would park it wherever they could find a spot

'We recovered after 9/11, and other incidents in the U.S., and we will heal from this one while continuing to make the point that we are about co-existing in peace and abhor all violent and extremist acts,' he added.

On Wednesday, a neighbor of the 29-year-old terrorist revealed he recognized the suspect and saw him and his two male friends driving around in a Home Depot truck as recently as two days ago.

Carlos Batista, 23, who lived two doors down from Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov in Paterson, New Jersey told DailyMail.com that the Uzbek immigrant had the vehicle for weeks before the attack, but never saw him load or unload anything from it.

'They had this Home Depot truck, like the one he used yesterday, for about three weeks and would park it wherever they could find a spot along Genessee [Avenue],' Carlos said in an exclusive interview.

'I found it odd and suspicious because never did I see [Saipov] or the other two move anything in or out of it, or were they ever in work clothes.

'I only saw them drive it around. It didn't seem like there was any reason for them to have a truck, since I never saw anything being moved.

He added: 'Knowing what we know now, it's like they were making a test run or something.

'Every time I saw the suspect in the neighborhood he was dressed in traditional robes and wore a cap, while the others, I assume his friends, wore jeans and shirts. All three were about the same age and had beards. But the two guys he hung out with were stocky,' he said.

The ISIS terrorist is reported to have rented a truck from a Home Depot in New Jersey which he used to plow through cyclists and runners on the bicycle path before slamming into a school bus on Chambers Street on Tuesday.

Batista, who works in construction and has lived at his current address for the past year, also recalled getting into a altercation with two of the men this past summer.

Batista, who works in construction and has lived at his current address for the past year, also recalled getting into a altercation with two of Saipov's friends this summer. Pictured above is Saipov's home

'I was riding my dirt bike up and down the street one night at around 7.30pm and revving the engine and going at a fast speed,' he said.

'This annoyed two of the guys. They told me in thick accents that I was making too much noise and that I should shut off my bike. That's when the suspect got involved and calmed the situation down.'

Another Paterson local described the Uzbek immigrant as an 'a**hole' who was often seen driving off with his wife who was dressed in a burqa.

Hilmi Hammad an employee at Excel, a knife supplier located across the street from Saipov's home, told DailyMail.com: 'A lot of times his white van would be parked in front of his apartment building.

'I would often see him come out with his wife, in full burqa - just the slits for eyes - and two girls, and drive off.'

DailyMail.com also spoke to a neighbor who described the suspect and his family as 'quiet' and reserved.

Altana Dimitrovska, 63, who lives a few doors down in the same modest brick apartment complex said: 'They were quiet people and kept to themselves.'

'I didn't have any problems with them. They went about their business, as did I. We would say hello and that was it. The mother wore a black robe and her face was covered.

Police examine a van in the neighborhood where Sayfullo Saipov lived in Paterson, New Jersey

Authorities stand near a damaged Home Depot truck after a motorist drove onto a bike path near the World Trade Center memorial, striking and killing several people on Halloween

The crash area is just seven blocks from Ground Zero and is a stone's throw from City Hall

'They have three kids, two girls and a baby boy. The girls looked to be around ages four and six and the son maybe six months old.

'Around the time the son was born they were visited by a set of grandparents. But I'm not sure if they were on the husband or wife's side. They too dressed traditionally and stayed about a month.'

Neighbors told DailyMail.com that Saipov's family were seen being whisked away earlier today with luggage and other personal possessions.

He was shot in the stomach during the rampage, and underwent surgery at Bellevue Hospital. When he spoke with authorities at the hospital, he allegedly showed no remorse for the lives he had taken. One source told ABC News that he seemed 'proud' and said he was 'boasting'.

In a press conference on Wednesday, NYPD confirmed Saipov had been planning the attack for weeks but did not give further details.

However, they said that he followed 'exactly to a T' instructions the terrorist group had posted online about how to carry out a terrorist attack.