Accused jihadi’s date with justice
Court appearance for susp in Eve attack on cops
A Maine teen who prosecutors say tried to kill NYPD officers with a machetelike weapon in Times Square on New Year’s Eve — after becoming radicalized by militant Islamist propaganda — appeared in a courtroom for the first time Monday to face federal terrorism charges.
Trevor Bickford, 19, appeared in Manhattan Federal Court after a monthlong stay at Bellevue Hospital, authorities said. He’s also facing state charges for the Dec. 31 attack on Officers Paul Cozzolino, Louis Iorio and Michael Hanna.
The teen wore a gray prison uniform with shackles around his waist and ankles — staring straight ahead and saying little during the brief court proceeding other than affirming that he understood his rights.
Bickford’s lawyer, Marisa Cabrera of the Federal Defenders, declined to comment after the hearing. She held off on requesting bail until a later date and asked that Bickford receive medical attention in federal lockup, which a judge granted.
In his federal case, Bickford faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted of four counts of attempted murder of officers and employees of the U.S. government and persons assisting them.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged him in a multicount indictment with attempted murder in furtherance of terrorism and additional counts for assault, attempted assault and multiple assaults on police officers.
Cozzolino was working his first patrol shift when Bickford allegedly sneaked up from behind and hit him over the head with a kukri — a machetelike short sword — fracturing his skull. According to court documents, the teen admitted to authorities he then charged at Iorio, an eight-year veteran, causing a gash to his head before being shot in the shoulder by Hanna, who joined the NYPD in April.
According to state and federal court records, Bickford shouted “Allahu Akbar,” Arabic for “God is great,” before striking the first blow as thousands of people gathered at the Crossroads of the World to watch the famed New Year’s Eve ball drop.
Justice Department officials say he had devoted himself to waging jihad against the U.S. government after spending roughly a month voraciously consuming materials promoting violent Islamic extremism.
Those included Taliban propaganda and writings by Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, the late Jordanian cleric who influenced the creation of ISIS, according to the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.
Authorities say Bickford traveled to the city from his Wells, Maine, home several days before the attack. He didn’t plan to return home, but wanted to achieve martyrdom, according to court records. Bickford, who had been an honor roll student and athlete in high school, allegedly told authorities that all men of military age were his targets. He carried a note to his mom and other relatives expressing guilt and requesting a traditional Muslim funeral.
In Bickford’s last diary entry, he wrote that his brother in the U.S. military had “joined the ranks of my enemy,” the feds say. Another book he brought highlighted the lines, “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 court records.
Bickford’s friends and family have described his descent into radicalization as sudden.
They said that just months ago, he was a quiet and polite kid who worked at a golf course, trimming grass and raking sand traps at the Old Marsh Country Club in Wells.
His aunt told The New York Times last month that Bickford’s mother noted a shift in her son’s personality after his father, Thomas Bickford, died in 2018 of an overdose.
Bickford’s mom contacted authorities early in December when he expressed a desire to move to Afghanistan.