A Wells man who is accused of attacking a group of New York City police officers with a machete in Times Square on New Year’s Eve has been indicted on 18 counts by a New York grand jury.
Trevor Bickford, 19, faces three counts of attempted murder in the first degree, as well as three counts of murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism. He faces a dozen other counts related to terrorism and the assault of a police officer.
New York City police at the scene of a police stabbing on New Year’s Eve involving a man from Wells. Trevor Bickford, 19, has been charged with attempted murder, and assault after attacking three New York City officers with a manchette. Photo from video by WABC-TV via Associated Press
The indictment – announced Friday night by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office – will not be made public until Feb. 1, when Bickford is scheduled to appear before a judge in New York Supreme Court, a state-wide trial court handling criminal and civil matters.
The New York City Police Department first announced charges against Bickford on Jan. 2, a day after the attack and while he was hospitalized for a gunshot wound from police to his shoulder. It’s possible Bickford also could face federal charges, as investigators and news outlets are reporting on his alleged ties to radical Islamic ideology and he’s under review from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Bickford is accused of attacking a group of NYPD officers standing just outside the security perimeter for the New Year’s celebration in Times Square just after 10 p.m. Saturday. Police said that two officers were struck in the head before Bickford was shot in the shoulder by a third officer. Bickford was still hospitalized when police announced the charges.
Anonymous law enforcement sources told The Associated Press that Bickford converted to Islam sometime in the past year and a half, and had been drifting toward more radical ideology. After family members reported their concerns to the Wells Police Department, Bickford was placed on an FBI watchlist that prevented him from traveling internationally.
CNN and ABC News said the attack came after an “ISIS-aligned” video was posted on the internet calling for “lone offender attacks” throughout December.
News of his alleged radicalization and the Times Square incident came as a shock to the Wells community this week, where Bickford attended the local high school and competed in wrestling and football.
One Wells resident told the Daily News that Bickford was polite, soft-spoken, respectful and “not arrogant in any way.”
“You’d never know,” the resident said. “Just totally shocked. … What was going on in his life? You’re trying to put your head around it.”
Bickford has no criminal record in Maine, according to the Maine State Bureau of Identification. The Legal Aid Society in New York, which will provide an attorney to represent Bickford, referenced the 19-year-old’s lack of a criminal history in a statement Wednesday.
“We’ve just received initial discovery from the district attorney’s office, and we’ll have more to say about this case after a thorough review and investigation,” it said on Wednesday. “For now, we ask the public to refrain from drawing hasty conclusions and to respect the privacy of our client’s family.”
The Legal Aid Society did not return messages left Friday night.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
