May 9 (UPI) — A man has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for his “brazen” knife attacks in Times Square in 2022, which injured three New York City Police Department officers, the Justice Dept. said Thursday.
Trevor Bickford, who was 19 at the time of the attack, came from Maine in December 2022 intending to carry out a jihadist attack on officers in uniform with a “machete-style knife,” prosecutors said.
Bickford pleaded guilty in January to charges stemsix ming from the attack — three counts of attempted murder of government officials and three counts of assault on government officials.
Bickford, now 20, was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release in addition to the prison term.
“Today’s sentence holds Trevor Bickford accountable for his premeditated 2022 terrorist attack in Times Square during which he attempted to kill three NYPD officers in a violent rampage,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The Justice Department is deeply grateful to the NYPD for its quick actions and bravery in disrupting this New Year’s Eve attack, and for the work it does every day to keep New Yorkers safe. The Justice Department will always stand by its state and local law enforcement partners as we work together to counter the threat of terrorism, and that includes being relentless in prosecuting those who seek to harm officers.”
Authorities say Bickford faces up to 20 years in prison on each charge, up to 120 years in total. Government prosecutors asked for as many as 59 years in prison, arguing that the longer sentencing “is necessary and appropriate to reflect the extraordinarily serious nature of the defendant’s terrorism offense, to provide just punishment for the defendant’s conduct, to deter and prevent the defendant from resuming activities in support of radical terrorist ideology, and to deter others who, like the defendant, would seek to carry out brutal terrorist attacks on U.S. soil ” prosecutors said in court documents.
Prosecutors contend Bickford’s “brutal actions” had far-reaching impacts on the three officers, and believe a life term is appropriate for the perpetrator.
Biokford blamed his youth, unhealthy and zealous support of Islam that was fostered by an untreated mental illness and lacking a full understanding of his actions.
DEfense attorneys also pointed out Bickford’s youth and naivety in calling for a more lenient sentence, and cited his guilty plea as reasons for a less harsh judgment.
“Mr. Bickford is deeply apologetic to the officers, their families, and the witnesses that night,” his attorneys wrote. “He recognizes the pain and suffering he has caused and would do anything to take back what he has done. Although Mr. Bickford knows he cannot change what happened in the past, he knows he can change his future for the better and he has worked hard to do so under challenging circumstances at the [Metropolitan Detention Center],” his attorneys wrote.
At the time of the incidents, the three NYPD officers were manning a checkpoint near Times Square Dec. 31, 2022, when they were stabbed with an 18-inch kukri knife. The attack occurred near West 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue, outside the secure area that had been set up for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
One of the injured officers was able to shoot Bockfrd and arrested him after that following the attack.
Police later found Ld Bickford’s backpack near the scene of the knife , prosecutors said. A book inside the backpack had a passage highlighted that said, “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,” according to prosecutors.
Bickfored later labeled the attacks unsuccessful because no one died and he was unable to achieve martyrdom, a complaint from the Southern District of New York said.
Bickford allegedly planned the attacks after months of training to become radicalized and then planned the Times Square attack. Reports show he intended to travel overseas to support the Taliban before scaling his plans back and focusing solely on Times Square.
Prosecutors said Bickford planned the attack in Times Square after “months of radicalization” and had initially intended to travel overseas to support the Taliban before focusing on an attack in the U.S.
He is scheduled to appear in court on May 22 in the state case.