New York City is still grieving over Tuesday’s Lower Manhattan terror attack that killed eight people and injured 12 more, but the incident is also reverberating at Uber headquarters here in downtown San Francisco. Turns out that the suspect, 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov, had been an Uber driver, according to the Associated Press. Saipov had passed Uber’s background check system, but now stands accused of being the assailant who drove a truck into a bike path in New York City’s deadliest terror attack since September 11, 2001.

“We are horrified by this senseless act of violence,” an Uber spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. “Our hearts are with the victims and their families. We have reached out to law enforcement to provide our full assistance.”

Saipov had apparently been an Uber driver for six months, logging more than 1,400 trips in that time, the AP reports. As you’d imagine, Uber banned him from the platform in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

The report adds some additional details on Saipov, a native of Uzbekistan, who moved to the U.S. legally in 2010 and first resided near Cincinnati, Ohio. He’s currently holding a Florida driver’s license and public records show his legal home is in a Tampa, Florida apartment complex. But Saipov currently resided in Paterson, New Jersey, and was driving a rented Home Depot truck with which he executed the attacks. He had two small trucking businesses registered in Ohio, one in Cincinnati called Sayf Motors Inc. and another in Cleveland called Bright Auto LLC.

The incident is certain to raise more questions about Uber’s famously lax driver background checks, and we here at SFIst have personally experienced murder threats from an Uber driver. But Saipov had no previous criminal record according to NBC News, although the AP adds there was a warrant issued for his arrest in 2016 when he missed a traffic court appointment for not having the proper brakes on a vehicle. He pled guilty and paid a $200 fine.

Related: Trump Blames Terror Attack On Schumer's Support For 1990 Visa Law George Bush Signed

On the campus of San Jose State, an embarrassing rat problem suddenly reared its ugly head yesterday when the rodent army's apparent leader interrupted a speech by retired federal judge and Prop 8-slayer Vaughn Walker.

The rat reportedly scurried out on to the stage and momentarily grabbed the attention of Walker and his audience before the good humored Judge cracked wise and moved on. One political science teacher told KTVU that the lecture was "successful," aside from the tiny interruption, but that doesn't really address the fact that rodents are literally crawling out of the woodwork around the urban campus. As one student so eloquently put it: “A lot of my classes have rodents and stuff [...] So I just want the construction to finish up quickly. It's kind of annoying.”

The rats are apparently being displaced from the many construction sites around the school, but they aren't the only rodent infestation: the local squirrels have also been ripping out wiring, but no one cares about them because they are adorable.

[KTVU]

Culinary punchline Guy Fieri, host of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, now plans on squishing his toes into the wine-making game. According to Press Democrat, the noted shouter purchased a five-acre vineyard of pinot noir grapes in the Russian River Valley and "submitted an application to open a wine tasting room on Willowside Road."

We're sensing hints of Born Blonde by Nice 'n Easy, with subtle notes of Speedstick and Drakkar Noir.

The celebrity chef, who made headlines last year after his Times Square restaurant was the subject of an obliterating New York Times review, claims to be fascinated by the wine business and culture in Northern California.

"Ever since I moved to Sonoma County and saw all this incredible environment of wine, from the agricultural side of it to the business side of it, to the community involvement side of it ... I've just been in awe," Fieri explained to Press Democrat. "So my wife and I were talking about it, and saying, ‘Can we do that some day?'"

In addition to a tasting room, he also wants to create an environment "to educate children about cooking" and to throw totally rad parties that, naturally, will be on like Donkey Kong. He submitted an application to host up to 14 events per year at the space. As for the decor? Hopefully, his penchant for Ed Hardy attire won't be seen. The architects envision a place that's more Italian piazza — with "raised garden beds, olive trees and mountain views" — and less Sigma Alpha Epsilon goes to Napa.

No word yet as to when it will open. As for the name, Guy manages to warm our chilled gastronomic heart, saying, "Our son's names are Hunter and Ryder, so we'd call it the 'Hunt and Ryde.'"

During the wee hours of the morning, a woman sporting a French maid outfit was arrested for going the wrong way down the northbound lanes on (the) 280 in San Francisco. She caused (only) three collisions before finally getting nabbed by the fuzz.

La mademoiselle had quite the late night: she caused one car to crash into the highway's center divide; this sent five people to the hospital. Still driving the wrong way, she went on to cause the driver on one car to ram into a guardrail. A Jeep Wrangler finally managed to put an end to her wrong-way terror, after she rammed her car into it.

The driver was taken into custody and booked for driving under the influence. It's nice to know some were able to get drunk last night. Too bad they decided to risk the lives of others by getting behind the wheel. (And that's one to grow on, kids!) A votre santé!


Image credit: CBS 5

-- Blue Angels to be banned in SF? [Examiner]

-- Islamic Center of the East Bay's recent blaze decried as an "act of terror" by local Muslim leaders. [Chron]

-- Man who attacked Holocaust survivor/scholar Elie Wiesel at Westin San Francisco Market Street (formerly the Argent Hotel) apologizes. Aw. Warm fuzzies for all. [ABC 7]

-- Benjamin Wachs on crime and Big Brother. No, not Big Brother. (An Aside: Love you Jen, you crazy bitch.) [The Snitch]

-- Peninsula BART stations to offer SFO parking on the cheap. [ABC 7]

-- Marke B. on "Access of Evil" and the viewing party for it at the truly awesome Trax. [SFBG]

The bill passed after some sheninagans by the White House when sixteen Democrats chickened out and voted with the Republicans. Most of them came from supposed Red States who thought that President 25% Approval Rating could still whip people up into a War on Terror frenzy and got nervous. Well, all of the Senators who voted for it were from Red or Reddish States except for one-- San Francisco's own Diane Feinstein.

What? What? What?

In a statement, DiFi said ..."the United States is vulnerable" …yadda yadda yadda… 9/11… yadda yadda yadda…"Meesa gonna Die." Well, not exactly, but she did point out that apparently intelligence chatter is up these days, which could be a reference to Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff’s recent bout of indigestion or Trent Lott's admonition for all Washingtonians to leave DC quickly as possible as they were all about to get blown up. Or, you could look at it simply that Feinstein heard the reasonable arguments made by the Administration about how the legislation was necessary, how the terrorists were making more noise, and how well they’ll conduct oversight on themselves and trusted them.

Upon arriving at the airport, Hetfield was detained and questioned but after explaining who he was and what he was there for, airport officials let him go. London, of course, has been a bit jittery after several recent failed terrorist attacks and Ayman al-Zawahiri's recent pronouncement that he wants to rain terror on the Infidels for "St. Anger." The CIA has noted that in one of his taped speeches sent to Al Jazeera, Al-Zawahiri mentioned that Metallica should have quit after Cliff Burton died and blamed "the Zionist conspiracy."

....and by "run," we mean, "run to the Roxie and start buying your tickets and passes now" for the Fourth Annual Another Hole In The Head Indiefest fantasy, sci-fi, and horror movie fest!

Whether your tastes run to anime fantasy, vampires, blood and gore, or Danny Elfman, there's plenty of genre to go around and a good time to be had! The Primitive Screwheads will be doing their splatterfest improv for the festival too -- as the promo says, "do not wear your nice clothes."

And as always, SFist will be there reporting back on the movies, the scene, and -- RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES in terror! Killer Crispin Glover! RUN!

Tony Hall's been famously irritated with Gavin Newsom ever since Newsom dumped him off at the Treasure Island Development Association to give his Supervisor's seat away to Sean Elsbernd and the Office of Emergency Services office to Annemarie Conroy, and then had him fired after the two of them got in a fight over Newsom's lack of commitment to the island and Newsom's accusations of Hall's financial improprieties. Hey Tony, it could've been worse: Gavin might have tried to make a play on your wife!

In the aftermath of that exploded friendship, Tony Hall demanded his Board of Supervisors seat back (to no avail), filed a legal claim against the city for his firing, and has now settled on the strategy of a blunt-talking race for the mayor's office instead (Care not Cash hasn't helped anyone, crime is up, middle class families can't afford to live here anymore, Newsom's been a disaster, he can't be trusted, we need real leadership, etc).

Is there going to be a squeeze play on Newsom from the right and the left in this race? That might be really interesting to watch -- if, of course, the left could get its act together enough to actually pick someone to start the squeezing. C'mon guys, Tony can't do it alone!

Can you hear that? That distant sound? As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced?

Holy nerd alert, Batman! WonderCon is coming!

Yes, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Moscone Center will host the hundreds, nay, of nerds, dorks, fanboys and fangirls who are too lazy and/or poor to make the trip down south for ComiCon in July. And we will proudly be amongst them. After the somewhat lackluster experience that was last year's WonderCon we have higher hopes for this one.

This year's Hollywood guests "scheduled" to appear include...well, no one that exciting. Hilary Swank? Mmmmkay. Sure. Whatever. We've got our fingers crossed for a surprise Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi Spider-Man 3 panel, and will admit to being totally jazzed to listen to former Apollo/current Tom Zarek Richard Hatch talk about "Battlestar Galacticas" past and present. (In previous years he was stuck in "autograph alley" with the original Boomer who, incidentally, will be there again this year.) Finally, Patton Oswalt, who is always hilarious, will be there with folks from Pixar talking Ratatouille. We can't wait to hear him rip into the nerds, (of which he is most definitely a huge one).

To learn more about the numerous panels, check out the schedules for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We recommend pre-registering online or at your local comic book store; there's always the chance it could sell out, and there's nothing sadder than standing outside the Moscone Center in your Ghost Rider costume with nowhere to go.

Image of Robot Monster getting his press pass at last year's WonderCon, by the author.