Teenager faces federal charges for NYPD Times Square machete attack on NYPD officers

A Maine teen who allegedly tried to kill three NYPD officers blocks from Times Square on New Year’s Eve in the name of jihad has been federally charged, according to court documents.

As first reported by NBC News, Trevor Bickford had jihadist views and tried to kill police officers with a nearly 18-inch knife just before midnight.

The FBI said Tuesday that since last summer, a 19-year-old from Wells, Maine, began following the teachings of a so-called cleric who held radical views and is the alleged spiritual leader of al-Qaeda, named in court documents. as Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi.

In November, the FBI said he was trying to travel to the Middle East to support the Taliban and told a family member that he wanted to become a suicide bomber.

The complaint confirms the completeness of NBC News reporting in the days following the attack.

In a press release, prosecutors say that Bickford wrote in his diary on New Year’s Eve that “this will probably be my last entry” and that his brother “came into the ranks of my enemy” by joining the U.S. military.

The complaint also details Bickford’s self-incriminating statements after Miranda was in the hospital.

On each count, he faces up to 20 years.

As neighbors describe the officer injured in the attack as a caring young man, there are also questions about whether the New Year’s Eve machete hand-to-hand suspect might have tried to get the officer’s pistol. This is reported by NBC New York correspondent Ida Segal.

The federal charges came after Bickford was indicted on a range of terrorism-related charges, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said. These charges include attempted murder, assault, and aggravated assault on a police officer. In total, Bickford faces 18 district attorney charges for alleged December 31 assault on three police officers whom he approached on Eighth Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets just after 10:00 pm.

The 19-year-old was described by senior law enforcement officials as a “home-grown violent extremist” who attempted to carry out an attack with a large knife on a night when downtown streets were packed. Bickford was shot in the shoulder during the ensuing chaos. He remained in the hospital in the custody of the Department of Corrections for several days after the alleged incident and is expected to appear before the Supreme Court on February 1.

According to Assistant District Attorney Lisa Nicholas, Bickford allegedly made allegations of his involvement in the attack and said he indicated that he deliberately waited for the officer to be isolated, away from civilians, in order to attack. Nicholas said that after he allegedly dropped the knife, Bickford testified that he wanted to grab another officer’s gun to kill other people, but was unable to get the weapon out of its holster.

“I wanted to kill a uniformed officer. I saw the office and waited until he was alone. I said: “Allah Akbar.” I went up and hit him on the head with a kukri. I rushed at another officer, but dropped the knife and tried to get the policeman’s gun, but could not, ”Bickford allegedly told detectives.

Trevor Bickford to stand trial over video footage for attacking NYPD officers on New Year’s Eve. Miles Miller reports.

Nicholas also argued that he posed a “significant flight risk”, telling the court that Bickford revealed that he intended to travel around the United States after leaving New York and bought an Amtrak ticket to Miami. Nicholas said that Bickford initially made it clear that he wanted to travel the world, but instead chose to come to New York to commit “jihad”.

He also allegedly said that he considers all government officials to be targets because they cannot be true Muslims given the United States government’s support for Israel.

“He stated that he specifically targeted a uniformed police officer because an officer is a uniformed person with a weapon, and a military man is often a target for the defendant,” Nicholas added.

Senior officials briefed on the attack described Bickford earlier this week as “a homegrown violent extremist motivated in part by Salafi extremism.” They said that after his arrest, he said he had radicalized himself and that he had changed his beliefs about three or four months ago, officials said.

Bickford had only recently considered New York as a target, officials say, and decided to continue the attack as soon as he reached the city after boarding an Amtrak train from Boston on Dec. 29, law enforcement officials said. According to senior police officials, he was staying at a hotel on the Bowery and may have spent some time before the attack in Queens.

Investigators found some of his belongings in Forest Park on Monday morning.

All three officers accused by Bickford of assault were released from the hospital the next morning.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said two police officers were hit in the head. According to her, the eight-year-old veteran received a lacerated head wound, and a recent graduate of the police academy received a skull fracture.

Investigators said they believed Bickford acted alone. They planned to find additional evidence at his Maine home in Wells. Neighbors who knew the suspect and his family told NBC Boston that they were surprised by the allegations.

The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is assisting in the investigation.