New York New Year’s Eve machete suspect hit with federal terrorism charges
Ryan King
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A suspect accused of attacking police officers with a machete during New York City’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration will face federal terrorism charges.
Trevor Bickford, 19, is is set to be charged on four counts of attempted murder of government employees and officers, adding to the trove of state charges lodged against him, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced late Tuesday. Each federal charge entails a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
NEW YEAR’S EVE MACHETE SUSPECT INDICTED BY GRAND JURY
“As detailed in today’s complaint, we allege that the defendant plotted a jihad-inspired attack targeting U.S. government officials, and on December 31st, 2022, attacked three NYPD officers who were part of the joint federal-state law enforcement operation protecting the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration,” Garland declared, per a Justice Department press release.
On New Year’s Eve, Bickford allegedly attacked three New York Police Department officers with an 18-inch kukri knife. The victims were treated at a nearby hospital and later released, according to the New York Police Department. State prosecutors have already lodged 18 criminal counts for various charges against Bickford, including for murder and terrorism. Bickford faces life in prison for those charges if convicted.
During the rampage, Bickford allegedly screamed out “Allahu akbar” before proceeding to hit an officer in the head and attempting to confiscate another’s gun at about 10 p.m. local time on New Year’s Eve. Law enforcement shot him in the shoulder, and he was later treated at a Manhattan hospital, per police.
Authorities believe Bickford started studying radical Islam literature over the summer and plotted to embark on a jihad against the United States government around November, according to the press release. He had been on the government’s radar prior to the attack.
Relatives claimed that he mused about traveling to Jordan or Afghanistan to become a suicide bomber and join the Taliban. He even booked a ticket to Jordan on Dec. 12, but never followed through. A criminal complaint filed in a Manhattan federal court noted he disagreed with the Taliban’s tactics against civilians and did not seek to join al Qaeda.
Bickford is believed to have traveled from Maine to New York City via train on Dec. 29. He will be brought to a Manhattan federal court “at a later date” to face the federal charges, per the DOJ.
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“An attack against New York City police officers is an attack against all of us — and today’s charges make it clear that such violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” NYPD Commissioner Keechang Sewell said in a statement.