Accused N.Y attacker says U.S. court's judgement 'not important'

FILE PHOTO - Sayfullo Saipov, the suspect in the New York City truck attack, is seen in this handout photo released November 1, 2017. St. Charles County Department of Corrections/Handout via REUTERS/File Picture

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Uzbek national accused of killing eight people by driving a speeding truck along a New York City bike path last October spoke of a "war" led by Islamic State at a pre-trial hearing on Friday and dismissed the court's judgement as not important.

The statement by Sayfullo Saipov, a legal permanent resident of the United States, came at the end of a hearing at which U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick set an Oct. 7, 2019, trial date in the case.