A self-proclaimed jihadist who attacked three NYPD officers with a foot-long machete in Times Square on New Year’s Eve 2022 was sentenced Thursday to 27 years in prison.
Trevor Bickford pleaded guilty in January to slashing three police officers in a lone wolf attack during an annual celebration at the Crossroads of the World, prosecutors said in Manhattan federal court.・Judge Castel handed down the sentence.
As part of his sentence, the 20-year-old Maine native will be under lifelong supervision upon his release.
Bickford faces up to 120 years in prison if the judge imposes consecutive maximum sentences on all six charges to which he pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors say in the days leading up to the incident, Bickford, then 19, traveled from his home in Maine to New York City with a twisted plan to kill as many people as possible in the name of Islamic Jihad. did.
A madman wielding a machete began the attack near West 52nd Street and Eighth Avenue on New Year’s Eve, shouting “Allah Akbar,” which means “God is great” in Arabic, prosecutors said. ing.
He seriously injured three officers, including one fractured skull, and the assault ended when one of them was shot in the shoulder by an officer. All police officers survived.
Federal authorities said Bickford admitted after the attack that he was trying to eliminate as many military-age men as possible in order to make himself a martyr and inspire other Islamic extremists.
The teenager became radicalized in the summer of 2022 after consuming Islamic and al-Qaeda propaganda.
The FBI warned Bickford for weeks after his mother reported her son’s religious obsession to local police. Federal authorities were notified by police on December 10th.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams praised such a significant sentence as a message it sends to those considering acts of terrorism.
“Mr. Bickford’s conviction and sentence confirms that this despicable act of terrorism will be met with the unwavering commitment of law enforcement to protect New York City, our country, and our nation’s core values of freedom and democracy. “It shows,” Williams said.
Bickford pled guilty to three counts of attempted murder of a U.S. government official and employee and their supporters, and three counts of assault on a U.S. government official and employee and their supporters.
He still has another lawsuit filed over the same incident in state court. The case is pending in court.
Bickford’s criminal defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
