Act Daily News
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Trevor Bickford, the 19-year-old accused of attacking New York Police Department officers with a machete on New Year’s Eve, was indicted Friday on greater than a dozen expenses, together with a number of terrorism expenses, prosecutors introduced.
Bickford now faces three counts of tried homicide within the first diploma, in addition to three counts of tried homicide within the first diploma in furtherance of an act of terrorism, one depend of assault within the first diploma as a criminal offense of terrorism, one depend of aggravated assault on a police officer as a criminal offense of terrorism, two counts of tried assault within the first diploma as a criminal offense of terrorism, and several other different expenses associated to assault and tried assault.
“We are grateful for our NYPD officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, as well as our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated in an announcement Friday night.
“All eyes are on Times Square on New Year’s Eve and these charges reflect the seriousness of this alleged threat to the safety of our city and our officers,” Bragg added.
Rosemary Vassallo-Vellucci, Bickford’s lawyer with the Legal Aid Society, stated Wednesday her consumer ought to be presumed harmless.
Bickford allegedly went to the Times Square checkpoint simply after 10 p.m., authorities stated. At the safety space, he allegedly pulled out a machete, struck one officer with the blade and one other officer within the head with the deal with, after which swung the blade at a 3rd officer, who shot Bickford within the shoulder, in response to regulation enforcement sources and the NYPD.
The three officers had been hospitalized in secure situation and launched, the division beforehand stated.
At his arraignment on Wednesday, prosecutors stated the suspect tried to seize a gun from an officer in the course of the assault however couldn’t get it out of the holster.
Prosecutors additionally alleged the suspect stated all authorities officers had been his goal as a result of in his thoughts, they “cannot be proper Muslims because the United States government supports Israel.”
According to regulation enforcement sources briefed on the investigation, Bickford advised officers he went to Times Square that evening ready to kill, however solely brokers of the federal government, not civilians.
Bickford stated he was about to assault a police officer who was speaking to a girl with a small youngster, however didn’t wish to danger injuring the lady and youngster so he attacked the following officer from behind after which engaged the opposite two officers who got here to his support, the sources stated.
Prosecutor Lucy Nicholas additionally alleged in courtroom Wednesday the suspect “admitted that he purposefully waited until he saw a moment when the officer was isolated and not near any civilian when he could attack him.”
Multiple regulation enforcement sources with direct data of the case additionally beforehand advised Act Daily News a diary which was discovered within the suspect’s backpack expressed a want to hitch the Taliban and it criticized his brother for becoming a member of the US army.
The suspect additionally nervous his mom wouldn’t repent to Allah, in response to one other writing within the diary, the sources stated.
Bickford had additionally been interviewed by FBI brokers in Maine final month after he stated he needed to journey abroad to assist fellow Muslims and was prepared to die for his faith, in response to a number of regulation enforcement sources.
Bickford’s mom and grandmother grew to become more and more involved about his want to journey to Afghanistan to hitch the Taliban and reported this to the Wells, Maine, police division out of concern for him on December 10, the sources stated.
When the FBI opened its wider investigation, in addition they positioned him on a terrorist watch record, in response to sources. Because the Taliban just isn’t designated a international terrorist entity, planning to journey to Afghanistan to hitch the group doesn’t represent the federal crime of “attempted material support of a terrorist group.”
Multiple regulation enforcement sources advised Act Daily News Bickford traveled to New York by way of Amtrak, so these travels wouldn’t have tripped any watch record databases.