No legal cases, civil or criminal, are pending against him anywhere in Connecticut, according to NBC News' review of state and federal court records. [4] During the police pursuit, officers ran a routine search on the license plate number of the car Barry was driving; the search triggered an alert instructing the pursuing officers to contact the local terrorism task force. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Fox News' Stephen Sorace, Anders Hagstrom, and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Mayor Eric Adams said at the news conferencethat he had spoken to one of the wounded officers. Bickford decided that he wanted to stay in the United States and not travel to the Middle East in order to "wage jihad against the U.S. Government within the United States," authorities said in a press release. He said that the FBI believes the attacker was acting alone. He took an Amtrak train to New York City on Dec. 29, the sources said. Bickford approached the NYPD officers, declared Allahu Akbaran Arabic phrase meaning God is great, which other radical Islamic extremists have similarly proclaimed while carrying out terrorist attacksand stabbed and struck the officers in the head with his kukri. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Protecting the civilians who attend the annual New Years Eve celebration in Times Square requires and involves the coordination, collaboration, and mutual assistance of multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and NYPD. The sources added that Bickford is believed to have traveled from Wells to lower Manhattan on Thursday mainly via Amtrak. The Department of Justice says that Bickford attempted to "wage Jihad by killing U.S. Government officials," and says that in 2022 he began consuming materials "espousing radical Islamic ideology" such as "promoting the Taliban and reflecting the teachings of Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, a prominent radical Islamic cleric who was a spiritual mentor of al Qaeda. 3.8K 215K views 11 months ago David has been attacked with a machete, Richard's chest pains are not indigestion, Neil has come off his motorbike at 100mph, and Jack fell a substantial height onto. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Barry left the restaurant afterwards and returned half an hour later, armed with a machete. The man, who made pro-jihadist statements from his hospital bed overnight, is believed to have traveled from Wells to lower Manhattan on Thursday mainly via Amtrak, those sources said. Crowds are not allowed access to the blocks to see performances and the midnight ball drop without being screened at checkpoints where officers use metal-detecting wands to screen for weapons. [4], Columbus area musicians organized a benefit concert to raise funds for the victims. As this video shows, though, if you cant stay out of range, get inside the range of the force multiplier. All rights reserved. Federal prosecutors included in the complaint images from body camera footage that purportedly shows Bickford during the attack, striking officers with the knife allegedly used, a kukri. He was also known to investigators because of his social media postings, the four officials said, adding that Bickford does not have a criminal record. Attorneys Sarah L. Kushner and Kaylan E. Lasky for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section. The man approached the first officer just after 10 p.m. Saturday and "attempted to strike him over the head with a machete," Sewell said. Part of it, without question, is the no-bail law: The Brooklyn DAs Office says thats why she got sprung after two arrests in that borough, and while the Manhattan DAs Office declined comment, it surely faced the same barrier. Neighbors told NBC affiliate WJAR of Providence, Rhode Island, that they were shocked by the attack. "We are really pleased by the response and how our officers handled this situation," Mayor Eric Adams said. Montagues father told the New Haven Register in a March 3 interview that he had been advised not to comment. The suspect approached an officer and tried to strike him over the head with the machete, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. She returned later and stayed the night, Stern said. The individual was on the FBI's radar for weeks prior to the attack, according to reports. The reformers whove given us these lunatic law-enforcement and mental-health systems claim to speak for the powerless. The suspect is allegedly a 19-year-old man from Maine, whose online posts indicate recent Islamic radicalization, sources told ABC News. NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Former Yale basketball captain Jack Montague has filed a lawsuit accusing the Ivy League university of wrongfully expelling him over a sexual assault allegation. We have strict orders from our lawyers, Jim Montague told the Register. Two homeless men attacked a father of five with a machete at a California beach leaving him with gruesome injuries, authorities said. NYC MACHETE ATTACK SUSPECT TREVOR BICKFORDS MOM ALERTED FBI TO ALLEGED EXTREMISM: REPORT. Both Franck and Mast were described as transients in their mid-30s. "It just goes to show you, it could be your first day or it could be your last day, the actions that police officers must take every day are life-threatening situations," Adams said. NEW YORK A man accused of attacking police with a machete near New York's Times Square on New Year's Eve is now facing federal terrorism charges after he became determined to wage jihad against. Prior to New Years Eve, the NYPD noted in a pre-event assessment that throughout December "multiple pro-ISIS users disseminated extremist propaganda graphics broadly calling for attacks in advance of the New Year, advocating a wide range of low-tech tactics." Bickford believed his attack was unsuccessful, because he did not kill any officers, and he did not die himself. NBC New York reported that Paul Cozzolino Jr. is the officer who suffered the fractured skull and that had just graduated from the police academy the day before the attack. Investigators are also looking into whether Bickford may have stayed at a homeless shelter upon arrival, the four officials said. Large bags and coolers are banned from the area, while barriers are set up to prevent vehicle attacks in the secure area. The attackers took his cellphone and. We've received your submission. That gesture triggered a backlash from student activists who accused the team of "supporting a rapist." Bickford was previously indicted on more than a dozen state charges, including several terrorism charges, according to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office. Trevor Thomas Bickford Traveled to Times Square for the Purpose of Killing U.S. Officials in the Name of Radical Islamic Jihad, and Used a Machete-Style Knife to Attack Three NYPD Officers Working in Coordination with . One of the officers involved in the incident had graduated from the police academy on Friday, Sewell said. Bickfords alleged attack in one of the most visited destinations in the world on its busiest night of the year ironically only served to spotlight the coordination, resolve and dedication of American law enforcement to guard the wellbeing of the public. . Tom Winter is a New York-based correspondent covering crime, courts, terrorism and financial fraud on the East Coast for the NBC News Investigative Unit. Spanish police on Thursday raided the home of a Moroccan man held over the machete attacks at two Catholic churches that left a church officer dead and a priest injured in the southern city of . Three law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation said late Sunday that authorities were looking into whether the suspect reached for one of the officers' service weapons during their takedown. Together with our law enforcement partners at every level of government, the Justice Department will continue to work to disrupt, investigate, and prosecute those who target and attack law enforcement and endanger the American people.". A mother and her teenage son have been found guilty of killing a 17-year-old boy in a machete attack in south London. Bickford's radicalization led to a desire to travel to the Middle East to "support the Taliban," and began taking steps to "ally himself with the Taliban and work with the Taliban to fight against governments that, in [his] view, oppress Muslims," the DOJ said. One of the officers fired their weapon, striking the suspect in the shoulder, Sewell said. Incident. An "unprovoked" machete attack on three New York City police officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve is being investigated as a possible terrorist incident. The weapon appeared to be a Gurkha knife, a type of curved blade, according to ABC News contributor Darrell M. Blocker, a retired CIA operative. Trevor Bickford, 19, allegedly. "The male then struck two additional officers in the head with the machete.". On New Years Eve, Bickford went to Times Square, and walked around the area trying to figure out the right time to kill. Bickford started reciting verses from the Quran in his head to hype himself up for his attack. Thanks for contacting us. Bickford, according to a criminal complaint, told authorities during his interview that he said (Allahu) Akbar before he walked up and hit the officer over the head with the weapon. [1] However, NBC News reported that Barry asked the employee where the restaurant's owner was from. Were trying to do things the gentlemans way, so were keeping things close-knit.. Trevor Thomas Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine, has been charged with federal crimes in connection with Bickfords efforts to wage jihad by killing U.S. Government officials and his knife attack on three NYPD officers in Times Square on New Years Eve. Clearly, the threat of jihadist terrorism remains very real, and our countrys security begins with the dedicated local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who are committed to keeping us safe. Franck and another homeless man, Benjamin Mast, then proceeded to chase the family of five from the beach back to a parking lot near the Pacific Coast Highway, deputies told the Malibu Times. . Fight against those who do not believe in Allah. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! [5][6] Shafi Ali, an immigrant from Dubai and an employee of Nazareth Restaurant, then drove Barry off with a metal baseball bat. An "unprovoked" machete attack on three New York City police officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve is being investigated as a possible terrorist incident. The Yale basketball player who was expelled in February after a university committee found that he had raped a fellow student sued the university on Thursday, accusing . June 9, 2016. We are committed to holding those who would target law enforcement with violence fully accountable., As we allege today, Bickford deliberately planned and executed his violent attack against New York City Police Officers who were simply doing their job protecting the public, said Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll of the FBI New York Field Office. Jack Montague, the team's captain, was thrown out of Yale on Feb. 10 after its University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct found that he had non-consensual sex with a younger student, his lawyer, Max Stern, said. [1] He then moved on to the next table of people and then attacked Bill Foley, a musician performing at the restaurant and a friend of Baransi's. On behalf of the City Council, I want to thank our local sheriffs deputies for their quick response to remove the suspects before they could harm anyone else, Grisanti said in a statement. Investigators are looking into whether the suspect came to the annual ball drop specifically to wage an attack on law enforcement, the sources said. A police officer walks after the first public New Year's event since the COVID-19 pandemic, at Times Square, in New York, Jan. 1, 2023. He was charged with two counts of attempted murder of an officer and two counts of attempted assault, and is now being charged with four counts of attempted murder of officers and employees of the U.S. Government and persons assisting them. Franck has been. Market data provided by Factset. The police department mounts a massive security operation every year during New Years Eve celebrations, deploying thousands of officers in the area around Times Square. He criticized Yale for taking "no steps to correct these actions.". To carry out his jihadist mission, Bickford traveled from Maine to New York City in late December. [27] The restaurant fully reopened at 11:00a.m. on that day,[28] but it was abruptly closed down again hours later, with a post on social media clarifying that the staff needed more time to recuperate. "[10] He was first tasered by officers, but when this did not stop him, they fired their guns. 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