The suspect accused of attacking police officers in Times Square on New Year's Eve was attempting "to kill people and carry out jihad," according to prosecutors, the New York Post reports.
Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder as well as two counts of attempted assault and could face additional terrorism charges, a law enforcement source told The New York Times.
Bickford allegedly began swinging a long knife toward a group of New York City police officers near the intersection of Eighth Avenue and 52nd Street at about 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Three officers were injured, including Paul Cozzolino, who suffered a fractured skull, before officer Michael Hanna shot Bickford in the shoulder. Bickford was hospitalized in stable condition and remanded to the custody of the Department of Correction.
"Defendant admitted that he purposely waited until he saw a moment when the officer was isolated and not near any civilians when he could attack him," Assistant District Attorney Lucy Nicholas said during a court hearing.
"He said that after he dropped his knife after attacking the first officer, he wanted to grab the other officer's firearm to kill them but was unable to get the gun out of the holster," she continued.
"He specifically targeted a uniformed police officer because an officer is a man in a uniform with a weapon."
Prosecutors added Bickford "indicated that after he left New York, he intended to travel across the United States and had an Amtrak ticket purchased to travel to Miami."
In addition, "he indicated that he had initially wanted to travel internationally but then decided to come to New York first in order to kill people and carry out jihad."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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