'I gave him five stars on Uber': One man's account of the New York terror suspect

A British tourist has spoken out his encounter with Sayfullo Saipov, who was working in New Jersey as an Uber driver.

Damian Erskine (pictured) told the BBC he was a passenger in the New York terror suspect's Uber. Source: BBC

The suspect in the New York terror attack, Sayfullo Saipov, has been described as "normal" by one of his former Uber passengers.

British tourist Damian Erskine - who gave Saipov a five-star rating after his hour-long trip from the airport - has spoken to BBC News about his encounter. 

"It was weird because we had been in the taxi with him for about an hour, the journey to the hotel. So we talked for a long time. You get an idea of a person. He seemed absolutely normal," Mr Erskine said. 

"We got talking about cars and normal things. He said how he one day wished he could own a Range Rover. He said they were the height of Britishness and luxury.

Damian Erskine spoke to the BBC about his recent Uber ride with New York terror suspect Sayfullo Saipov. Source: BBC

"He was very polite, he helped us with our bags. I mean, I gave him five stars on Uber, which seems a bit weird now."

Mr Erskine said when he saw the photo Saipov following the attack, he went cold.

"It just makes you feel sick, really, that you've had quite an enjoyable conversation with someone who's just a taxi driver and you've had a chat, as you would, and you've shared this time with someone who's gone on to do something like that," Mr Erskine said.

This undated photo provided by the St. Charles County Department of Corrections in St. Charles, Mo., via KMOV shows Sayfullo Saipov. Source: AAP

The 29-year-old Uzbekistan native had been living in the US since 2010, most recently in Florida and New Jersey.

He allegedly mowed down eight victims and injured a further 11 people as he drove along a cycle path in lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

US president Donald Trump tweeted on Wednesday that Mr Saipov should get the death penalty following the alleged attack.

"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 wrote on Twitter, referring to the Islamic State jihadist group.

The president had earlier said he would consider sending Sayfullo Saipov to Guantanamo Bay, the US military detention centre in Cuba that has been used to indefinitely hold suspected foreign jihadists, a practice that has drawn repeated criticism from rights groups.

- With AFP Wires