Trevor Thomas Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine, has been charged with federal crimes in connection with Bickfords efforts to wage jihad by killing U.S. Government officials and his knife attack on three NYPD officers in Times Square on New Years Eve. Its probably going to set some sort of precedent. The FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is unwavering in its mission to combat terrorism to keep our city safe, and we will bring any radicalized individual willing to commit violence to justice., An attack against New York City police officers is an attack against all of us and todays charges make it clear that such violence will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, said NYPD Commissioner Keechang L. Sewell. Franck has been. Officers were called to the Dollar Tree on reports that a man was in the store waving a machete and had attacked a worker. [6][30][31] Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther told reporters that he hoped to persuade Barsani to stay in Columbus. The teenager accused of attacking NYPD officers with a knife on New Year's Eve now faces federal charges, the Department of Justice said.. Trevor Bickford was charged with four counts of attempted . [1][20] He has been operating Nazareth Restaurant in a local strip mall for 27 years. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Thanks for contacting us. Through different statements from the suspect and the accomplice, the weapon was located stashed in some bushes down by the beach, LASD Lt. Jim Braden said. [4], Columbus area musicians organized a benefit concert to raise funds for the victims. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The law-enforcement system we have now . Now shes being held on $500,000 bail. . The suspect, hospitalized after an NYPD officer opened fire in defense, expressed pro-jihadist views overnight and possessed terrorist propaganda, law enforcement sources said. U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland said "We are deeply grateful for the bravery of the officers who were injured in this horrible attack and who put their lives on the line every day to serve their communities. An official website of the United States government. Barry left the restaurant afterwards and returned half an hour later, armed with a machete. Just before Bickford allegedly carried out the attacks, he said "Allahu Akbar," which is an Arabic phrase meaning "God is great," the DOJ said. That gesture triggered a backlash from student activists who accused the team of "supporting a rapist." 9:43 PM EST, Tue January 10, 2023. Do you have the attitude, skills, and plan to engage a machete attack? The suspect, identified only as a 19-year-old man, approached an officer and attempted to strike him over the head with a machete, Sewell said. He said that the FBI believes the attacker was acting alone. Terrorist-related propaganda and personal writings were found in his backpack, they said. And an innocent man black, incidentally, and still hard-working at 82 pays the price. "[10] He was first tasered by officers, but when this did not stop him, they fired their guns. . In Jamaica Queens in 2014, a radicalized man named Zale Thompson attacked three officerswithout warning with a hatchet, nearly killing one of the officers. A mother and her teenage son have been found guilty of killing a 17-year-old boy in a machete attack in south London. Before Bickford could attack more targets, one of the victim officers shot Bickford in the shoulder, stopping the attack, and he was taken into state custody. About twenty people were inside the restaurant at the time of the attack. FBI agents with court authorization searched the man's home in Maine on Sunday, an agency spokesperson said. A high-level police source previously told Fox News Digital that he had recently converted to Islam and said that authorities received a tip saying that Bickford expressed interest in traveling to Afghanistan. His name is in a federal law enforcement database, they said, and he was known to investigators for his social media postings. Wage a holy war.. "Unprovoked, a 19-year-old male approached an officer and attempted to strike him over the head with a machete," Sewell said. Prosecutors detailed the father's grisly injuries Wednesday, saying the machete attack left him disfigured with a cut tongue, a lost eye and cuts to his nose, ear and lip. The injured police were out of the hospital and expected to recover. [36], In February 2017, the White House listed the machete attack as a terrorist attack. Our NYPD family is thankful our heroic officers survived this premeditated ambush, and the entire city commends them for preventing further bloodshed during one of our nations largest public events. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Bickford wounded all three officers, who suffered lacerations and other injuries, and each officer had to be taken to a hospital for treatment. Retired NYPD inspector Paul Mauro joined 'Fox News Live' to discuss the latest on the New Year's Eve attack and the latest on the investigation into the Idaho college murders. Malibu Mayor Paul Grisanti said he was shocked by the vicious, unprovoked attack on the visiting family. HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Yale University has settled a lawsuit brought by a former Yale basketball team captain who sued the university after being expelled over sexual misconduct . Islamic extremism. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. On February 11, 2016, Mohamed Barry, a native of Guinea who was a permanent resident in the United States and had been working in computer programming and information technology, entered the Nazareth Restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, and began to attack customers with a machete, injuring four. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. Skills. Three law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation told NBC News late Sunday that authorities were investigating whether the suspect reached for one of the officers service weapons during their takedown. Bickford believed his attack was unsuccessful, because he did not kill any officers, and he did not die himself. [4] During the police pursuit, officers ran a routine search on the license plate number of the car Barry was driving; the search triggered an alert instructing the pursuing officers to contact the local terrorism task force. His mother and aunt notified law enforcement in recent weeks about their concerns he was gravitating toward dangerous Islamist ideologies, the sources said. He wound up with just a fractured skull and 11 stitches but, as he told The Post from his hospital bed, Even with just one blow, I could have passed away.. [7] At the time of the attack, he was in the U.S. legally on a green card. Together with our law enforcement partners at every level of government, the Justice Department will continue to work to disrupt, investigate, and prosecute those who target and attack law enforcement and endanger the American people., On this past New Years Eve, revelers flocked to Times Square to ring in the New Year with friends and family. At approximately 10:10 p.m., at 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue, blocks away from the New Years Eve celebration in Times Square, Bickford attacked three NYPD officers, who were detailed to the joint federal-state law enforcement operation to protect the New Years Eve celebration. The sources added that Bickford is believed to have traveled from Wells to lower Manhattan on Thursday mainly via Amtrak. Bickford was then shot in the shoulder and apprehended by police, Sewell said. An "unprovoked" machete attack on three New York City police officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve is being investigated as a possible terrorist incident. Obviously, staying outside of the range of the machete is a great idea because that machete can do great damage to you. Should authorities determine the attack was motivated by an Islamist ideology, it would make it the first terror incident associated with New Years Eve in Times Square, authorities said. He recently worked at an area country club as a groundskeeper, they said. As officers approached the vehicle, Barry emerged and lunged at them with the machete and a filet knife, yelling "Allahu Akbar! Im like, blown away to think so close to home that someone would like go all the way to New York and commit the crime, Bethanne Brunelle told the local outlet. She returned later and stayed the night, Stern said. Trevor Bickford, 19, allegedly. Multiple law enforcement officials said they were looking into whether the attacker traveled to New York specifically to target police on New Years Eve. appreciated. [1] However, NBC News reported that Barry asked the employee where the restaurant's owner was from. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Assistant U.S. NBC New York reported that Paul Cozzolino Jr. is the officer who suffered the fractured skull and that had just graduated from the police academy the day before the attack. The attack began when a man approached an officer and tried to strike him over the head with the machete before striking two officers in the head with the blade, Police Commissioner Keechant. The man accused of attempting to kill two New York City police officers on New Year's Eve has been hit with federal charges, according to the Department of Justice. neighbor Steve Isles said. Official websites use .gov The New York Police Department released an image of a knife they said had been recovered at the scene of an officer-involved shooting near Times Square on New Year's Eve. Surveillance video showed the perpetrator leaving his home by foot towards the spa which was less than two kilometres from his home. Fox News' Stephen Sorace, Anders Hagstrom, and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. Its far more cruel to keep on neglecting public safety in the name of ideology. We have strict orders from our lawyers, Jim Montague told the Register. Updated [23], The Washington Post described Barsani as a "popular local figure" and his restaurant as a "multicultural mingling place"; a painting of a Christian, a Jew, and a Muslim in amicable conversation hangs on the wall. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much IE 11 is not supported. Trevor Thomas Bickford Traveled to Times Square for the Purpose of Killing U.S. Officials in the Name of Radical Islamic Jihad, and Used a Machete-Style Knife to Attack Three NYPD Officers Working in Coordination with the FBI to Protect the New Years Eve. [1] He then moved on to the next table of people and then attacked Bill Foley, a musician performing at the restaurant and a friend of Baransi's. By November 2022, Bickford was interested in traveling to the Middle East to support the Taliban and took steps towards traveling to Afghanistan to ally himself with the Taliban and work with the Taliban to fight against governments that, in Bickfords view, oppress Muslims. A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office told NBC News Monday afternoon it is unclear when he will be arraigned "based on a number of factors.". "Like, I'm sure in the back of all of our minds, now this could be a target for, you know, shooting. Officers attacked near Times Square on NYE: New details emerge. Market data provided by Factset. Neither the FBI nor New York police were on the lookout for any other suspects, officials said. He then struck two officers in the head with the blade before he was shot in the shoulder and apprehended by police, Sewell said. Recognize that with any force multiplier, you want to control distance. Bickford told a family member that he wanted to travel to the Middle East so that he could be a suicide bomber for his religion. The charges carry an aggregate potential sentence of 80 years in prison. The family from out of town was eating lunch on Dan Blocker Beach in Malibu Sunday when two homeless men approached, telling them they were not allowed there, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department. "It just goes to show you, it could be your first day or it could be your last day, the actions that police officers must take every day are life-threatening situations," Adams said. Neighbors told NBC affiliate WCSH of Portland, Maine, that the suspect is the child of divorced parents and has two siblings. Federal and local law enforcement investigators are combing through the suspect's online postings, which indicate recent extremist Islamic radicalization, the sources said. A diary found by investigators may have indicated the suspect believed he was on a suicide mission: He left notes about who would inherit belongings and where he wanted to be buried, the sources said. A lock (LockA locked padlock) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. New dad: My postpartum depression left me crying on the fl Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Murdaugh son collapsed outside court after sitting stone-faced through dad's 6-week murder trial: source, Alex Murdaugh shaves head for latest mugshot after learning his fate for killing his wife, son, Sick trolls leak gruesome Maggie Murdaugh autopsy photo after it was accidentally shown on livestream, Tom Sandoval breaks silence on Ariana Madix split amid cheating claims, Kelly Osbourne posts first photo of baby son as he hangs out with uncle Jack, Greys Anatomy alum Isaiah Washington retiring from acting: The haters have won, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report, Max Scherzer's first look at the new pitch clock, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. To carry out his jihadist mission, Bickford traveled from Maine to New York City in late December. You may not have the ability to draw a gun, but practicing Active Self Protection can help you if ever you need to fight this fight!If you value what we do at ASP, would you consider becoming an ASP Patron Member to support the work it takes to make the narrated videos like these armed robbers getting their just desserts? He criticized Yale for taking "no steps to correct these actions.". Suspect in Times Square machete attack on New Year's Eve arrested and faces attempted murder charges. Clearly, the threat of jihadist terrorism remains very real, and our countrys security begins with the dedicated local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who are committed to keeping us safe. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "The male then struck two additional officers in the head with the machete.". [22] An Israeli flag is on display inside his restaurant. The attack happened shortly after 10 p.m. at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, just outside checkpoints for the high-security zone set up for celebrants, officials said at a news conference early . A bag that Bickford brought with him to the Times Square area was subsequently recovered by law enforcement from the scene of the attack. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. He was charged with two counts . not so much: Witness the tale of Deashe Calhoun. e. On the night of December 28, 2019, the seventh night of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, a masked man wielding a large knife or machete invaded the home of a Hasidic rabbi in Monsey, Rockland County, New York, where a Hanukkah party was underway, and began stabbing the guests. The attack took place in the security area at Times Square. Prior to New Years Eve, the NYPD noted in a pre-event assessment that throughout December "multiple pro-ISIS users disseminated extremist propaganda graphics broadly calling for attacks in advance of the New Year, advocating a wide range of low-tech tactics." Police did not have a more exact number Sunday. [35], In November 2016, following a car-ramming and stabbing attack at Ohio State University, Columbus Police Deputy Chief Michael Woods compared it to the restaurant attack committed by Barry as also a potential act of terrorism. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Authorities identified the suspect at the news conference only as a 19-year-old man. Bickford has no prior arrests. The suspect approached an officer and tried to strike him over the head with the machete, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. Plan.Copyright Disclaimer. Franck and another homeless man, Benjamin Mast, then proceeded to chase the family of five from the beach back to a parking lot near the Pacific Coast Highway, deputies told the Malibu Times. [1][4][8] Barry was shot repeatedly[11] and died of a bullet wound in his neck. The NYPD released an image of a weapon, saying it had been recovered at the scene. According to Stern, the accusation against Montague stems from an October 2014 encounter at his room, where he and his accuser had sex and went their separate ways. A 19-year-old recent convert to an extremist Islamic ideology allegedly attacked three police officers with a machete on New Year's Eve.. Trevor Bickford was arrested after he allegedly attacked the officers in Times Square and has since been charged with multiple crimes.. Here's everything we know about the New Year's Eve machete attack. The FBIs New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the NYPD, and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies is investigating the case. Bickford was charged by complaint with attempting to kill officers and employees of the U.S. Government and persons assisting them. We've received your submission. Trevor Bickford, a 19-year-old resident of Wells, Maine nearly 300 miles from Times Square is also facing two counts of attempted assault, police said. A native of Guinea in West Africa,[13] he had arrived in the U.S. in 2000. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He had expressed some desire to travel to Afghanistan in the past, the officials said. Bickford does not have a criminal record, the four officials said. Bickfords alleged attack in one of the most visited destinations in the world on its busiest night of the year ironically only served to spotlight the coordination, resolve and dedication of American law enforcement to guard the wellbeing of the public. Barry first entered the restaurant at about 5:20p.m. and spoke to an employee. The nature of that conversation has not been revealed by investigators. By Marc Tracy. June 9, 2016. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. Were trying to do things the gentlemans way, so were keeping things close-knit.. As detailed in todays 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 Years Eve celebration, said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? The 22-year-old senior's departure, which Yale has refused to confirm or explain, came as the basketball team closed in on its first berth in the NCAA Tournament in 54 years. Prosecutors have said the suspect traveled to New York in order to kill people and carry out jihad.. Incident. We've received your submission. Three law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation said late Sunday that authorities were looking into whether the suspect reached for one of the officers' service weapons during their takedown. Prosecutors detailed the fathers grisly injuries Wednesday, saying the machete attack left him disfigured with a cut tongue, a lost eye and cuts to his nose, ear and lip. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, He was charged with two counts of attempted murder of an officer and two counts of attempted assault, and is now being charged with four counts of attempted murder of officers and employees of the U.S. Government and persons assisting them. Bickford identified an NYPD officer who was isolated from civilians and other officers, took out the kukri from his backpack, declared Allahu Akbar, and attacked the officer. David Lyugovski, of California, told ABC News that he saw dozens of officers, some with guns drawn, running toward the scene of the incident. The university provost signed off on the decision, he said. ", Bickford also intended to die in the attack, authorities said, adding that he claimed that the attack was "unsuccessful" because he "did not kill any officers, and he did not die himself.". Adams spoke at the officer's graduation ceremony, he said. Multiple law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine. Videos from the scene appeared to show revelers jogging through the rain as they were directed away from the scene by columns of police officers. After he was arrested, Bickford told authorities that he walked around the area of Times Square on New Year's Eve "trying to figure out the right time to kill" and also recited Quran verses in his head to "hype himself up" before the alleged attack. The man approached the first officer just after 10 p.m. Saturday and "attempted to strike him over the head with a machete," Sewell said. When. A man suspected of attacking three New York City police officers with a machete just outside a New Year's Eve security checkpoint in Times Square and who is believed to have expressed militant support for Islam was arrested Monday on two counts of attempted murder, police said. According to the allegations contained in the complaint charging the defendant: In the summer of 2022, Bickford, a 19-year-old U.S. citizen and resident of Maine, began accessing and consuming materials espousing radical Islamic ideology, including materials promoting the Taliban and reflecting the teachings of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a prominent radical Islamic cleric who was a spiritual mentor of al Qaeda. ", According to the Justice Department, this led to Bickford's radicalization and "devoting himself to violent Islamic extremism and waging jihad.". [32][33][34], The restaurant stayed open, although Barsani continued to assert that authorities in Columbus and the United States in general do not take the threat of terrorist sufficiently seriously. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. I applaud our NYPD investigators, our partners on the FBIs New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the prosecutors in the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York for their combined efforts on this important case.. The Yale basketball player who was expelled in February after a university committee found that he had raped a fellow student sued the university on Thursday, accusing . You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Trevor Thomas Bickford Traveled to Times Square for the Purpose of Killing U.S. Officials in the Name of Radical Islamic Jihad, and Used a Machete-Style Knife to Attack Three NYPD Officers Working in Coordination with . Some 20 officers responded to the scene, and Franck and Mast were later arrested following a brief standoff at the parking lot, where they had locked themselves into a restroom, LASD officials told the newspaper. And we have to think that a mental-health system that focused on helping the grievously ill, rather than processing them, would prove far more humane as well. NYPD STABBING SUSPECT WITH ALLEGED EXTREMIST TIES WROTE MANIFESTO ASKING FAMILY TO REPENT TO ALLAH: REPORT, The weapon an unnamed attacker allegedly used to stab two NYC police officers. Mayor Eric Adams said at the news conferencethat he had spoken to one of the wounded officers. According to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office, 42-year-old James Hall. The 19-year-old also told a family member that he "wanted to travel to the Middle East so that he could be a suicide bomber for his religion," the Justice Department alleges. The attackers took his cellphone and. There are additional lessons available on our website: http://get-asp.com/zgrkAttitude. Federal Charges Announced Against Maine Man Who Carried Out Machete Attack in Times Square on New Year's Eve in Name of Jihad. An entry in Bickfords journal from December 31, 2022that is, the day of his attackstates that this will likely be my last entry and that Bickford believed his brother, a soldier in the U.S. military, had joined the ranks of my enemy. A second bag that Bickford was carrying, also recovered by law enforcement near Times Square, contained a book espousing violent Islamic extremism, with certain portions highlighted, including the following: Fight in the Name of Allah and in the Cause of Allah. William Farrington More On: assault Mormon 'swinger' charged with domestic violence, child abuse Two more men. One of the injured officers, an eight-year veteran of the NYPD, suffered a laceration to the head, officials said. Trevor Bickford, 19, allegedly used a machete to attack two New York City Police officers in Manhattan on New Year's Eve and is reported to have traveled from Maine. FBI Assistant Director in Charge Mike Driscoll said the bureau's Joint Terrorism Task Force is involved to "ascertain what is the nature of the attack." [9], The officers tried to execute a PIT maneuver to force his Toyota off the road, but it was unsuccessful. Whereas the fast-rising crime rates that reform has brought already have the Rikers population growing, and will likely pack the prisons soon enough. Jacquellena Carrero is a Desk Reporter at NBC News. As this video shows, though, if you cant stay out of range, get inside the range of the force multiplier.