"I want to be clear that the FBI through the Joint Terrorism Taskforce is working very closely with them to determine the nature of this attack, and we will run every lead to ground," said the FBI official. Trevor Bickford, whom senior law enforcement officials have described as a "homegrown violent extremist," is accused of swinging a large knife at three different cops he approached on Eighth Avenue, between 51st and 52nd streets, just after 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve, a night when midtown streets are jam-packed with tourists and holiday revelers. Jiji. Bickford, of Wells, Maine, allegedly approached the officers on Manhattan's 8th Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets armed with a large knife he used to swing at three different officers, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at an overnight press conference. Mike Driscoll, assistant director for the New York FBI field office, said at the press conference that agents are working very closely with the NYPD to determine the nature of this attack. Driscoll declined to offer any further details. And there was Thomas Henry, a retired Metropolitan Transportation Authority worker who was with family; he was hit in the head and has lasting cognitive issues. According to sources, the mother and aunt of Trevor Bickford notified law enforcement in recent weeks about their concerns he was gravitating toward dangerous Islamist ideologies. A year before he killed eight people at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis in 2021, Brandon Scott Hole was taken into custody by police and temporarily placed in a mental detention facility for further assessment after his mother complained he assaulted her when she asked what he was going to do with the gun, officials said. On Saturday night, Bickford allegedly attacked two NYPD police officers on Eighth Avenue between 51st and 52nd Street, right outside Times Square where thousands of revelers were ringing in the. The suspect, hospitalized after an NYPD officer opened fire in defense, expressed pro-jihadist views overnight and possessed terrorist propaganda, law enforcement sources said. He remained hospitalized on Wednesday, but was out of bed to face a judge via video. Investigators are interested in what brought him to the park in a remote part of the city and whether he intended to meet anyone. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. "They feel disconnected from community, theyre angry, they're searching for a sense of life meaning, they come from dysfunctional family backgrounds, they spend a considerable amount of time online viewing content placed there by terrorist groups, by extremists, content regarding past shootings and other ideological or extremist content until ultimately they connect with something or a blend of beliefs, or a blend of beliefs and grievances. After the suspect's mother flagged her son's gravitation toward Islamic extremism last month, the FBI interviewed Bickford and determined he sought to travel to Afghanistan to fight for the cause, law enforcement sources told ABC News. Navy veteran Richard Rojas was charged with one count of second degree murder, 18 attempted murders and 38 assaults, for which he was found not responsible because of insanity.. After being detained, Rojas was found to have ingested phencyclidine before the crash. After the attack, police officials said, Mr. Rojas claimed he had smoked PCP. His mother and aunt notified law enforcement in recent weeks about their concerns he was gravitating toward dangerous Islamist ideologies, the sources said. The attack happened near 52nd Street and 8th Avenue just after 10 p.m. Saturday, less than two hours before the ball dropped in Times Square to ring in 2023. From there, it's believed Bickford slept in a park in Forest Park, Queens. Officials believed the suspect acted alone, and the FBI says there is no ongoing threat. NBC New York's Myles Miller reports. Law enforcement sources told ABC News that authorities are not ruling out the possibility that the suspect came specifically to New York City to attack police officers at the Times Square ball drop. February 28, 2023 - 7 Adar 5783. Police working New Year's Eve detail in Times Square were wounded by a machete-wielding man who struck multiple officers in the head in what law enforcement are investigating as a possible targeted attack. Mayor Eric Adams said at the news conferencethat he had spoken to one of the wounded officers. In a public statement made announcing the . I was just shocked, you know?" He had expressed some desire to travel to Afghanistan in the past, the officials said. Police recovered a sleeping bag linked to the suspect, sources said. He is charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer and two counts of attempted assault. The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. NEW YORK -- The NYPD and FBI investigation into a machete attack on three police officers near Times Square on Saturday night now spans from New York City to Maine, where the suspect is from. "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. Global Edition. She said he traveled to New York by way of Boston roughly three or four days ago. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. In Jamaica Queens in 2014, a radicalized man named Zale Thompson attacked three officerswithout warning with a hatchet, nearly killing one of the officers. Terrorist-related propaganda and personal writings were found in his backpack, they said. After growing up in the Bronx, he spent three years in the Navy. Counsel also referenced the Wells man's community ties and said he worked at a golf course. One of the officers fired their weapon, striking the suspect in the shoulder, Sewell said. The family, he said, would not get to tell the court about the impact of his daughters death. He said that the FBI believes the attacker was acting alone. The attacks occurred outside the security screening area set up around Times Square for the traditional New Year's Eve ball drop. Thomas Galati, NYPD Chief of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said the suspect in Saturday night's Times Square attack, was interviewed by FBI agents last month in Maine after his mother reported concerns that her son was possibly becoming radicalized. A Maine teenager charged in a New Year 's Eve machete attack on three New York City cops near Times Square was arraigned from a hospital bed on Wednesday as . 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. 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. The authority`s directives came after its earlier directives on the issue urging TV channels to adhere to the Electronic Media Code of Conduct 2015. In Saturday's attack, the officers were initially hospitalized, one with a fractured skull and another with a bad cut, Sewell said. Bickford is accused of carrying out the attack about two hours before midnight on New Year's Eve, just blocks away from Times Square, where heavy crowds of revelers were counting down to 2023. 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 incident took place at around 4:30 a.m. in the area of 162 W 43rd St. Police. He could still face federal terrorism charges. He understood that his role saved lives of New Yorkers today, Adams said. Large bags and coolers are banned from the area, while barriers are set up to prevent vehicle attacks in the secure area. Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The NYPD released a photo of the weapon they said was used to attack officers on New Year's Eve. "The attack follows a series of media announcements and propaganda from ISIS affiliates globally that were encouraging supporters to conduct lone actor attacks on targets such as airports and security services," ISD analysts wrote. 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. Sewell asked any witnesses to contact the NYPD. People lying on the floor to avoid the gunshots.". "It's just kind of hard to believe. Vous pouvez modifier vos choix tout moment en consultant vos paramtres de vie prive. Maybe they come to the attention of law enforcement initially because of their online behavior, maybe its other behaviors theyre exhibiting that family or others observe.". "People trying to get into the store, people rushing out," said Fiorentina Pizzeria owner Mike Sicilliano. Bickford does not have a criminal record, the four officials said. John Dias is an Emmy-nominated reporter. Mr. Rojass rampage through one of the citys most crowded areas lasted only minutes, but caused intense panic, conjuring comparisons to an attempted car bombing in Times Square in 2010 and to episodes in which terrorists used automobiles as weapons. A teenager accused of attacking three police officers with a machete near Times Square on New Year's Eve is now facing federal terrorism charges after authorities allege he intended on waging a. The incident occurred just after 10 p.m. on Saturday near West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, outside the secure area that had been set up for New Year's Eve celebrations, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters at a news conference at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital. NEW YORK --The suspect in the New Year's Eve machete attack just outside theTimes Squarecelebration was charged Monday with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of assault. ABC News' Josh Margolin, Keith Harden, Patricio Chile and Mark Crudele contributed to this report. He remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Police provide photo of machete allegedly belonging to 19-year-old suspect. The attack happened a little after 10 p.m. about eight blocks from Times Square, just outside the high . Two teens suffered cuts after they were attacked by a man in Times Square early Wednesday morning, police said. One News Page. 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