https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loc...-square-machete-attack-new-years-eve/5399444/
The Maine 20-year-old accused of trying to murder NYPD officers in a 2022 New Year's Eve machete attack near Times Square was sentenced to nearly three decades in prison after pleading guilty to several terror-related charges.
Trevor Bickford was indicted in Jan. 2023 on terror charges including attempted murder, assault and aggravated assault on a police officer, according to the Manhattan DA. He pleaded guilty a year later to five counts involving those charges, which stem from the Dec. 31, 2023, attack on three cops he approached on Eighth Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets.
Bickford previously told the judge he was under psychiatric treatment for schizoaffective disorder. During his guilty plea in January, he told the court "On Dec. 31, 2022, I attempted to kill 3 uniformed NYPD officers in an attack with a knife while they were working. I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry."
As part of his plea, Bickford admitted he scouted Times Square and chose a group of NYPD officers as his target. He said he carried out the attack to wage jihad, with the goal of killing military aged men so he could become a martyr. Bickford allegedly made statements to detectives implicating himself once in custody.
"Inspired by radical Islamic extremism, Trevor Bickford brutally attacked three NYPD officers who were just doing their jobs by protecting the public during the Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. "Thankfully, one officer’s quick-thinking actions stopped the defendant’s attack while minimizing risk to the innocent bystanders who easily might have become additional victims of the defendant’s heinous violence."
Had the case gone to trial, among the government's evidence were the 12-inch machete used in the attack, a journal found at the scene with Trevor's "last Will and Testament" and officers' body camera video that showed the attack. Video showed the machete coming down on the cops, while Bickford's face could also be seen as he swung the weapon.
"He planned, prepared, and traveled to conduct a savage attack in support of his violent ideology, and now he is being held accountable for his actions," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
The Maine 20-year-old accused of trying to murder NYPD officers in a 2022 New Year's Eve machete attack near Times Square was sentenced to nearly three decades in prison after pleading guilty to several terror-related charges.
Trevor Bickford was indicted in Jan. 2023 on terror charges including attempted murder, assault and aggravated assault on a police officer, according to the Manhattan DA. He pleaded guilty a year later to five counts involving those charges, which stem from the Dec. 31, 2023, attack on three cops he approached on Eighth Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets.
Bickford previously told the judge he was under psychiatric treatment for schizoaffective disorder. During his guilty plea in January, he told the court "On Dec. 31, 2022, I attempted to kill 3 uniformed NYPD officers in an attack with a knife while they were working. I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry."
As part of his plea, Bickford admitted he scouted Times Square and chose a group of NYPD officers as his target. He said he carried out the attack to wage jihad, with the goal of killing military aged men so he could become a martyr. Bickford allegedly made statements to detectives implicating himself once in custody.
"Inspired by radical Islamic extremism, Trevor Bickford brutally attacked three NYPD officers who were just doing their jobs by protecting the public during the Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said. "Thankfully, one officer’s quick-thinking actions stopped the defendant’s attack while minimizing risk to the innocent bystanders who easily might have become additional victims of the defendant’s heinous violence."
Had the case gone to trial, among the government's evidence were the 12-inch machete used in the attack, a journal found at the scene with Trevor's "last Will and Testament" and officers' body camera video that showed the attack. Video showed the machete coming down on the cops, while Bickford's face could also be seen as he swung the weapon.
"He planned, prepared, and traveled to conduct a savage attack in support of his violent ideology, and now he is being held accountable for his actions," said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
