A 19-year-old man accused of attacking three New York City police officers with a machete near Times Square on New Year’s eve — crime investigators have linked to Islamist extremism — was charged in federal court on Tuesday with attempted murder.
The four federal charges — all for attempted murder — against Trevor Bickford, 19, add to a slew of New York state charges, some terrorism-related. It was not immediately clear which case would move forward first.
Bickford, a resident of the northern state of Maine, allegedly travelled to Times Square on New Year’s Eve “to carry out a brazen act of violence and hatred in the name of jihad”, US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
At a security checkpoint outside the gathering, Bickford stabbed and hit three New York police officers with a machete before being shot in the shoulder, the complaint says, adding that all three officers were hospitalised.—Reuters
