NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — Trevor Bickford was sentenced to 27 years in prison for ambushing three NYPD officers in a violent machete attack in “the name of jihad” on New Year’s Eve 2022 in Times Square, prosecutors announced on Thursday.
Bickford pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault on Jan. 11 for the attack, which caused three NYPD officers serious injury.
“Inspired by radical Islamic extremism, Trevor Bickford brutally attacked three NYPD officers who were just doing their jobs by protecting the public during the Times Square New Year’s Eve festivities,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said.
According to court documents and proceedings, on Dec. 31, 2022, Bickford traveled from his home in Maine to New York City to, in his words, “wage jihad and kill as many targets as possible,” prompting him to target a densely populated area at one of the most densely populated times.
Bickford swung his machete-style knife at the officers’ heads while declaring “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great,” which has similarly been proclaimed by other radical Islamic extremists at the time of terrorist attacks.
Prosecutors said that Bickford seriously injured all three officers, and during the scuffle grabbed one of the officers’ guns. One of the victims managed to halt the assault by shooting Bickford in the shoulder.
The defendant later declared his mission was to kill as many military-aged men who worked for the U.S. government as possible and wage jihad, before becoming a martyr himself.
The attack was premeditated and fueled by Bickford’s consumption of radical Islamic ideology, including teachings of an al Qaeda mentor.
In addition to his prison sentence, Bickford was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release.
“Bickford’s conviction and sentence demonstrate that cowardly acts of terrorism will be met with law enforcement’s unwavering resolve to protect New York City, our country, and our core values of freedom and democracy,” Williams said.