Authorities provided new details on Wednesday about how Islamic extremism reportedly motivated a Maine man to attack police in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
Trevor Thomas Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine is accused of traveling to New York City and attacking and attempting to murder three police officers with a large knife. The attack reportedly happened at the edge of a high-security zone where new year’s revelers were gathered.
Bickford is charged with federal crimes in what authorities described as an effort to “wage jihad.” He faces four counts of attempted murder of officers and employees of the U.S. government. The charges carry an aggregate potential sentence of 80 years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
Bickford was held without bail after he was arraigned by video from a Manhattan hospital, the Associated Press reported.
The Legal Aid Society, a public defender organization representing Bickford, has urged the public “to refrain from drawing hasty conclusions and to respect the privacy of our client’s family.”
“As alleged, three New York City Police Department officers were brutally assaulted in a jihad-inspired attack on New Year’s Eve while they were performing their duties to protect their city and those out celebrating the holiday,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Being a law enforcement officer requires brave individuals willing to put their lives on the line every day to keep others safe. We are committed to holding those who would target law enforcement with violence fully accountable.”
Authorities provided insight into the lead-up to the attack based on an investigation by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation.
Bickford began “consuming materials” espousing radical Islamic ideology in the summer of 2022, according to the criminal complaint.
Some of those materials promoted the Taliban and endorsed the views of a man identified as the “spiritual mentor of al Qaeda.” By November 2022, authorities allege Bickford wanted to travel to the Middle East in support of the Taliban.
“Bickford dedicated himself to the mission of waging jihad against officials of governments that he believes are anti-Muslin, including the U.S. Government,” according to the Department of Justice.
According to Merriam-Webster, “jihad” means a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious duty.
Attack on NYE
After failing to travel overseas, authorities stated Bickford instead plotted a domestic attack. He allegedly told a family member he had wanted to travel to the Middle East so he could be a “suicide bomber for his religion.”
In late December, Bickford traveled to New York City armed with a large, curved knife known as a kukri. The knife is over a foot long and like a machete.
At 10:10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Bickford reportedly attacked three New York Police Department officers blocks away from Times Square. Authorities reported the attack happened at 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue and that Bickford yelled “Allahu Akbar” — the Arabic phrase for “God is great.”
Bickford reportedly stabbed and struck officers in the head with his kukri. One of the victim officers shot Bickford in the shoulder and authorities apprehended him.
“Bickford wounded all three officers, who suffered lacerations and other injuries, and each officer had to be taken to a hospital for treatment,” the Justice Department stated.
Law enforcement reportedly recovered a bag from Bickford that contained a journal and jihadist materials. A journal entry by Bickford stated that “this will likely be my last entry” on the same day of the attack.
Authorities also reported that a second bag belonging to Bickford contained a book containing quotes about waging “a holy war.”
In what authorities described as a “Mirandized” interview at a local hospital, Bickford allegedly spoke about his extremist views. Bickford stated he had picked New York City to “wage jihad” and that he recited phrases from the Quran to “hype himself up.”
When asked why he conducted the attack, Bickford reportedly stated the officer had a uniform and represented a target. He reportedly said all men of military age were his targets and that he wanted to achieve martyrdom in the attack.
“Bickford intended to die in the attack, in an effort to achieve martyrdom,” the complaint said. “Bickford believed his attack was unsuccessful, because he did not kill any officers, and he did not die himself.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner and Kaylan E. Lasky for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
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