Trevor Bickford, a 20-year-old resident of Wells, Maine, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for his attempted murder of U.S. Government officers and employees during a machete attack on New Year's Eve 2022. The attack took place in Times Square and targeted three New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers. Bickford pleaded guilty to terrorism charges on January 11.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated that the sentence held Bickford accountable for his premeditated terrorist attack. He expressed gratitude towards the NYPD for their swift action and bravery in disrupting the attack and pledged the Justice Department's unwavering support for state and local law enforcement partners.
FBI Director Christopher Wray condemned Bickford's ambush as a premeditated act of terrorism. He emphasized the tireless work of police officers in protecting communities and described assaults on them as reprehensible.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York highlighted that Bickford was inspired by radical Islamic extremism when he attacked the NYPD officers during Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities. Williams praised an officer's quick-thinking actions that stopped Bickford’s attack while minimizing risk to innocent bystanders.
Court documents reveal that in December 2022, Bickford traveled from Maine to New York City with the intention to wage jihad and kill as many targets as possible. He ambushed three NYPD officers at Times Square on New Year’s Eve, injuring all three seriously with a machete-style knife. One of the victims managed to shoot Bickford in the shoulder, halting his rampage before he could harm others.
Bickford had consumed materials promoting radical Islamic ideology and contemplated ways to wage jihad prior to his attack. His initial plan was to travel overseas to support the Taliban in Afghanistan or elsewhere but ultimately decided against it, choosing instead to carry out an attack within the United States.
Law enforcement officers recovered a book from Bickford’s backpack near the scene of the attack with a highlighted passage encouraging holy war. He had also used an encrypted application and secure browser on his cellphone to conduct extensive research in advance of his attack, including information about al Qaeda, waging jihad, potential weapons for his attack, and ways to incapacitate, injure, and kill his potential targets.
The FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J.C. Hellman, Sarah L. Kushner, and Kaylan E. Lasky for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case with assistance from Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.