Suspect pleads guilty to 2022 New Year’s Eve attack on NYPD officers

A man who authorities say attempted “in the name of jihad” to kill three New York City police officers near Times Square during the 2022 New Year’s Eve celebration pleaded guilty to federal charges Thursday.

The man, Trevor Bickford, who appeared in U.S. District Court in Manhattan wearing the brown suit of a federal prisoner, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder of law enforcement officers and three counts of assault on law enforcement officers.

Reading from a brief statement, Mr. Bickford, 20, told the judge, P. Kevin Castel, that he “tried to kill three uniformed NYPD officers” while they were on duty on New Year’s Eve.

“I know what I did was wrong,” he told the court, “and I am sorry.”

By pleading guilty, Mr. Bickford avoids a federal trial. His sentencing is scheduled for April 11; He faces a maximum prison sentence of 120 years for the charges.

Mr. Bickford, who was joined in court Thursday by his mother, stepfather and two aunts, is also charged by the state with attempted first-degree murder and attempted assault stemming from the attack. A trial date has not yet been set in that case, according to a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

In a statement after the plea, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said: “Bickford targeted the iconic annual celebration to carry out brazen acts of violence and hatred in the name of jihad.”

The attack, which led to increased security measures during last year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, occurred on December 31, 2022 at approximately 10 p.m. According to authorities, Mr. Bickford said “Allahu akbar” – Arabic for “God is great.” – as he approached a group of officers at 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue near Times Square.

According to court documents, Mr. Bickford first struck an officer in the head with a long knife known as a kukri, fracturing the officer’s skull. He then charged at another officer, dropping his knife and trying to grab the officer’s gun. Police said a third officer shot Mr. Bickford in the shoulder before he was taken into custody.

Had the federal case come to a successful conclusion, the prosecutor, Sarah L. Kushner, said the evidence presented would have included the “machete” Mr. Bickford used during the attack and a diary found at the scene , which contained his last will and testament. will.

Prosecutors also allegedly presented Mr. Bickford’s statements to authorities, she said. Mr. Bickford, a 19-year-old Maine resident at the time of the attack, said he was “considering waging jihad abroad” but had decided to travel to New York City instead, Ms Kushner told the court. He also said he was looking for men in uniform to attack, and “all military-age men were his targets,” she said.

Mr Bickford was prepared to die and considered his attack a “failure” because he survived while failing to kill the officers, she said in court on Thursday.

As Ms. Kushner spoke, Mr. Bickford stared at the defense table, where he sat with his lawyers.

At the time of the attack, Mr. Bickford was already on the radar of law enforcement. According to a criminal complaint, the FBI had begun investigating him weeks earlier, in mid-December, following concerns raised by his family members.

Mr. Bickford’s relatives told authorities that he had recently converted to Islam and started attending mosques in and around Maine and New Hampshire. He began researching the Taliban and expressed interest in traveling to Afghanistan to join the group, according to the complaint, and had purchased a crossbow for the trip.

According to the complaint, Mr. Bickford canceled his trip to Afghanistan to visit his brother, an American soldier who was scheduled to visit him.

Ms. Kushner added that authorities found texts between Mr. Bickford and his brother in which Mr. Bickford warned his sibling about being in the military.

Mr. Bickford had also researched online questions such as “How does Al Qaeda recruit?” and “How much does a Muslim funeral cost?” she said.

Last year, Mr. Bickford’s aunt, Muriella D’Antilio, told the New York Times that she believed he was depressed and did not think he was a terrorist.

“I want that label off of him,” she said.

Since his arrest, Mr Bickford told the court he had undergone psychiatric treatment, had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and had been prescribed a combination of medications.