New Year’s Eve Machete Attack Near Times Square: Suspect Charged
A 19-year-old man has been charged following a shocking machete attack on three police officers near Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Trevor Bickford faces two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, plus two counts of attempted assault after the unprovoked assault on December 29, 2022.
Attack Linked to Islamic Extremism, Premeditated
Bickford, from Wells, Maine, allegedly took a train to New York’s 1 subway line and launched the brutal attack without warning. Police found his backpack at the scene containing a diary. His final diary entry revealed he expected to die and requested an Islamic burial.
“He took a sip of water, shouted ‘Allahu Akbar,’ then attacked officers with a knife,” said law enforcement sources.
Bickford bought the machete and withdrew thousands in cash before travelling, suggesting clear premeditation. His mother had alerted the FBI about his extremist leanings only weeks earlier. Despite being on a federal watchlist barring overseas travel, nothing stopped him boarding an Amtrak to New York.
Aftermath: Officers Recover, Investigation Continues
The three officers, including a rookie on his first assignment, suffered head injuries but were released from hospital on Sunday. One suffered a skull fracture, another a laceration. Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell described the attack as “unprovoked” and detailed how Bickford swung the machete at officers’ heads.
Bickford remains in Bellevue Hospital after being shot by police during the incident. Meanwhile, investigators are probing his movements, including his stay in Queens’ Forest Park, trying to determine if he had accomplices.
Terror Warning Missed? FBI & NYPD Under Spotlight
Before New Year’s, the NYPD warned of possible ISIS-inspired attacks during the celebrations. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force had already interviewed Bickford following warnings from his family. Officials say federal terrorism charges could still be on the table.
Bickford’s bizarre actions included a large cash donation to the Bowery Mission in New York, believed to be fulfilling a Muslim religious tenet.
This attack has raised serious questions about gaps in counter-terror measures and how a flagged extremist slipped through travel controls to carry out a vicious New Year’s Eve assault on law enforcement.
