The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:
Damian
Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York,
Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States, Christopher A.
Wray, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), Michael J.
Driscoll, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI,
and Keechant L. Sewell, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department
(“NYPD”), announced today that TREVOR THOMAS BICKFORD has been charged with
federal crimes in connection with BICKFORD’s efforts to wage jihad by killing
U.S. Government officials and his knife attack on three NYPD officers in Times
Square on New Year’s Eve. BICKFORD was charged by Complaint with
attempting to kill officers and employees of the U.S. Government and persons
assisting them. BICKFORD is currently in state custody and will be
transported to and presented in Manhattan federal court at a later date to face
the federal charges filed in the Southern District of New York.
U.S. Attorney
Damian Williams said: “On this past New Year’s Eve, revelers flocked to Times
Square to ring in the New Year with friends and family. But Trevor
Bickford allegedly targeted the iconic yearly celebration to carry out a brazen
act of violence and hatred in the name of jihad. Bickford’s 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. We sincerely thank our law enforcement partners for their
outstanding work and bravery, and especially wish a full and speedy recovery to
the officers injured in this senseless attack.”
Attorney General
Merrick B. Garland said: “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. 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. 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.”
FBI Director
Christopher A. Wray said: “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. 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.”
FBI Assistant
Director Michael J. Driscoll said: “As we allege today, Bickford deliberately
planned and executed his violent attack against New York City Police Officers
who were simply doing their job protecting the public. Only the quick
action of these brave officers prevented further harm. 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.”
NYPD
Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said: “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.
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 nation’s largest public events. Clearly, the threat of
jihadist terrorism remains very real, and our country’s security begins with
the dedicated local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who are committed
to keeping us safe. I applaud our NYPD investigators, our partners on the
FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the prosecutors in the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for their combined
efforts on this important case.”
According to the
allegations contained in the Complaint charging the defendant:[1]
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. Over the ensuing months, BICKFORD radicalized, devoting himself to
violent Islamic extremism and waging jihad.
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
BICKFORD’s view, oppress Muslims. BICKFORD dedicated himself to the
mission of waging jihad against officials of governments that he believes are
anti-Muslim, including the U.S. Government. 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. BICKFORD ultimately decided that he would not
travel overseas, and instead would wage jihad against the U.S. Government
within the United States.
To carry out his
jihadist mission, BICKFORD traveled from Maine to New York City in late
December. On New Year’s Eve, BICKFORD went to Times Square for the
purpose of killing U.S. Government officials, armed with a large, curved knife
similar to a machete, known as a kukri, with a blade over one foot long.
Protecting the
civilians who attend the annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square
requires and involves the coordination, collaboration, and mutual assistance of
multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and
NYPD. During this special event, the FBI and NYPD work together and
assist each other in the performance of their respective duties, in a
collective effort to ensure a safe Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration.
At approximately
10:10 p.m., at 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue, blocks away from the New Year’s
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 Year’s Eve celebration. The location of 52nd Street and Eighth
Avenue was an access checkpoint at which spectators could gain entry to the
events in Times Square, and both FBI and NYPD personnel were deployed in the
area of the checkpoint, including the three officers whom BICKFORD attacked.
BICKFORD approached the NYPD officers, declared “Allahu Akbar” — an
Arabic phrase meaning “God is great,” which other radical Islamic extremists
have similarly proclaimed while carrying out terrorist attacks — and stabbed
and struck the officers in the head with his kukri. 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. BICKFORD
wounded all three officers, who suffered lacerations and other injuries, and
each officer had to be taken to a hospital for treatment.
A bag that
BICKFORD brought with him to the Times Square area was subsequently recovered
by law enforcement from the scene of the attack. BICKFORD’s bag
contained, among other things, a book by al-Maqdisi promoting jihad and
BICKFORD’s journal. The al-Maqdisi book encourages followers, among other
things, to wage jihad against disbelievers and governments ruled by
disbelievers, and to use swords on the heads of disbelievers. An entry in
BICKFORD’s journal from December 31, 2022 — that is, the day of his attack —
states 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. Fight against those who do not
believe in Allah. Wage a holy war.”
The kukri that
BICKFORD used in the attack, depicted below, was recovered by law enforcement
from the scene of the attack:
After being
treated at a local hospital, during a subsequent Mirandized interview,
BICKFORD stated, among other things, the following:
- BICKFORD decided
not to travel overseas to wage jihad as originally planned, and instead to
commit jihad in New York City. In the days leading up to his New Year’s
Eve attack, BICKFORD traveled from Maine to New York City.
- On New Year’s Eve,
BICKFORD went to Times Square and walked around the area “trying to figure
out the right time to kill.” BICKFORD started reciting verses from
the Quran in his head to “hype himself up” for his attack.
- 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.
- After attacking
that officer, BICKFORD charged at another officer and tried but failed to
remove that officer’s firearm from the officer’s holster. One of the
officer victims then shot BICKFORD in the shoulder, stopping his attack.
- When asked why he
conducted the attack, BICKFORD stated that the officer was a man in
uniform who had a weapon; all men of military age were his targets; no one
can work for the U.S. Government and be a true Muslim because the U.S.
Government supports Israel; and he wanted to kill as many of these targets
as he could.
- BICKFORD intended
to die in the attack, in an effort to achieve martyrdom. BICKFORD
believed his attack was unsuccessful, because he did not kill any
officers, and he did not die himself.
*
*
*
BICKFORD, 19, of
Wells, Maine, is charged in the Complaint with four counts of attempted murder
of officers and employees of the U.S. Government and persons assisting them,
each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The
charges carry an aggregate potential sentence of 80 years in prison.
The maximum
potential sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here
for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be
determined by a judge.
Mr. Williams
praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI’s 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.
The case is
being handled by the Office’s National Security and International Narcotics
Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner and Kaylan E. Lasky are
in charge of the prosecution with assistance from Trial Attorney D. Andrew
Sigler of the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security
Division.
The charges contained in the Complaint are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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