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In Jamaica Queens in 2014, a radicalized man named Zale Thompson attacked three officerswithout warning with a hatchet, nearly killing one of the officers. "And then you hear a gunshot, and it just went crazy. The NYPD counterterrorism bureau is investigating the New Year's Eve attack in conjunction with the FBI. The attack happened a little after 10 p.m. about eight blocks from Times Square, just outside the high . In a public statement made announcing the . Chinatown apartment building evacuated due to bulging faade, Long Island home destroyed after car drives through it, Explosive found in checked luggage at Pa. airport, man in custody. The report prompted the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force to look into the suspect, the law enforcement sources said. It was very, very terrifying to the public and people that work here," Sicilliano said. 1:15. A . The Boston Marathon bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Neighbors told NBC affiliate WCSH of Portland, Maine, that the suspect is the child of divorced parents and has two siblings. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. A couple minutes later, you can see police clearing everyone out of the area, many quickly rushing by, others running. Authorities say Bickford whipped. Investigators spent much of the weekend searching the suspect's family home in Wells, Maine. 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. I said 'Allauh Akbar.' Cohen noted that suspects in several recent mass casualty incidents had been evaluated by law enforcement prior to committing the acts of violence, including Payton Gendron, the teenager who pleaded guilty to killing 10 Black people in a racially motivated shooting in Buffalo, and Nikolas Cruz, who pleaded guilty to killing 17 students in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. 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. His reality is altered by his acute psychotic state.. Police provide photo of machete allegedly belonging to 19-year-old suspect. He could still face federal terrorism charges. Prosecutors countered that even if Mr. Rojas had been experiencing delusions during the incident, he was competent enough to know that he was harming people. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank that tracks and analyzes online extremism, terrorism and disinformation, released a briefing on the attack Monday, explaining that Jihadist groups were promoting low-tech attacks and targeting law enforcement in the runup to New Year's Eve. The maroon Honda seemed to appear in Times Square out of nowhere one day in the spring of 2017, swerving onto a curb on 42nd Street, then speeding north along the sidewalk on Seventh Avenue, striking more than 20 people and scattering dozens of others before ramming a bollard at 45th Street. But Cohen conceded there are likely "thousands" of reports like the one flagged to authorities in Maryland. Sources also say the suspect told federal investigators he was targeting police. Richard Rojas, right, admitted that he was a user of PCP, and relatives said his mental health had declined since he was discharged from the Navy. He is due back in court Feb. 1. Mar 1, 2023. Prosecutors sayBickford intended to carry out a jihad,and the charges reflect thegravity of his actions. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. But Wells has, you know, a really small school system. 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. He remained hospitalized on Wednesday, but was out of bed to face a judge via video. Bickford only recently considered New York as a target, officials allege, and decided to go forward with the attack once he got to the city after taking an Amtrak train from Boston on Dec. 29, according to law enforcement officials. NEW YORK - A man accused of attacking police with a machete near New York's Times Square on New Year's Eve was arrested on charges of attempting to murder officers, authorities . said Isles. Investigators are looking into whether the suspect came to the annual ball drop specifically to wage an attack on law enforcement, the sources said. All three officers Bickford is accused of attacking were released from the hospital the following morning. New York City is asking residents to give up their bikes to illegal aliens. The withdrawal and the purchase suggest premeditation, sources said. He also allegedly said he considered all government officials targets because they couldn't be proper Muslims given the United States government's support of Israel. "Like, I'm sure in the back of all of our minds, now this could be a target for, you know, shooting. The news was announced at the annual CTeen Jewish pride takeover of Times Square, where 3,000 teens from 30 countries across the globe joined together for a Jewish Pride concert and inspirational event. Times Square machete attack suspect now facing terrorism charges The 19-year-old suspect who allegedly attacked three police officers with a machete at a New Year's Eve celebration near Times. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, 'Eyewitness to 2022,' examining the stories that defined the year, Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts. Trevor Bickford, the 19-year-old suspect charged in the Times Square attack on NYPD officers. Adams said that there are no credible threats to New Yorkers at this time, which was reiterated by Sewell and Driscoll. SHARE. He remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Federal and local authorities are digging into the background of 19-year-old Trevor Bickford, who allegedly attacked a group of NYPD officers outside a security screening zone in Times Square just after 10 p.m. Saturday, multiple law enforcement sources said. When Mr. Rojas returned to the Bronx, friends said, he seemed paranoid and irritable, expressing scorn for the government and railing against taxes, parking tickets and police stops. "Wells is a very small community and you think, you know, 'Did this really just happen here?' He joined CBS2 News in November 2017. Defense attorneys with The Legal Aid Society requested that he be released on his own recognizance, saying police questioned him for days without a lawyer present and pointing to his lack of criminal history. And Mr. Rojas, he said, deserved punishment. "The reality is that this threat of online radicalization from organizations like ISIS and al-Qaida really never went away.". Staff and customers could be seen looking outside at what they thought were two people fighting. "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. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams) - 2NDW2TY from Alamy's library of . On a later call, officials said all three officers had been released from Bellevue Hospital overnight. ", He added, We thought someone is trying to shoot, you know, as many people as possible. As the world was concerned over a Chinese spy balloon, Biden quietly released al Qaeda terrorist Majid Khan to Belize after 16 years in CIA custody in Guantanamo Bay. "Somebody's yelling, 'Calm down, calm down,' because everybody's on edge," Dyachkin said. Global Edition. It is powerful evidence that he knew what had happened in Times Square., Driver in Fatal Times Square Attack Found Not Responsible Because of Mental Illness, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/nyregion/driver-times-square-attack-terrorism.html. 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. "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. At least one officer fired upon the suspect, striking him in the shoulder. Two psychiatrists also took the stand for the defense, with one testifying that Mr. Rojas gave a name, James, to a disembodied voice that he said he heard. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Adams, Sewell and Driscoll all praised the officers who were attacked and other officers at the scene for how they dealt with the violence. The New York Police Department has seen other lone wolf terrorist-type attacks on officers. He understood that his role saved lives of New Yorkers today.". Prosecutors said he was culpable, but failed to sway jurors in the 2017 attack that left one dead and injured nearly two dozen. The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, noted in a release after the verdict that Mr. Rojas would remain in custody. "There are message boards for this kind of material that just circulate," said David Viola, a professor with John Jay College of Criminal Justice's Center on Terrorism. The FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force is assisting in the investigation. Global; United . "The way you know they (the FBI) took the traditional approach is they viewed the primary threat as his travel to Afghanistan," Cohen said. Neighbors who knew the suspect and his family told NBC Boston said they were surprised by the allegations. "We're still, from an investigator's perspective, looking for that Mohamed Atta," said Cohen, referring to one of the hijackers in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. News Ukraine Russia Kharkiv Attack. The judge sided with the prosecution, ordered Bickford remanded after his arraignment. Police say attack happened around 10 p.m. Just after 10 p.m. he went to the Times Square checkpoint at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue where officers check bags for weapons or suspicious. Crowds of people gathered on Eighth Avenue for New Year's festivities start to panic. Steering a person in a different direction early on may mean offering assistance to someone who needs it before that person concludes violence is necessary.". Early Monday, authorities were in and out of the suspect's home in Wells, Maine. John Cohen, a former U.S. Department of Homeland Security acting undersecretary for intelligence, said the case is the latest in a string of attacks nationwide where law enforcement made contact with a suspect prior to an attack and assessed the potential for them to carry out a violent act. Mayor Eric Adams commended the work of the officers and the police department's security planning that went into securing the area around Times Square in the aftermath of the attack. Trusted News Discovery Since 2008. It adds terrorism charges to theoffenses he was already facing, which include two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, as well as two counts of attempted assault. Mayor Eric Adams said one of the injured officers just graduated from the police academy Friday. The suspect remains in police custody in the hospital. The male then struck two additional officers in the head with the machete. Sewell said the attack was unprovoked. A deranged homeless man allegedly shoved an Asian woman to her death in front of an oncoming subway train Saturday morning in Times Square, police said. Watch as Police Commissioner Sewell & Mayor Adams provide an update on a police involved incident in Manhattan. Were dealing with individuals, all of which, regardless of the motive, are experiencing somewhat consistent behavioral health issues.". All three NYPD members were taken to Bellevue Hospital and were expected to survive. / CBS New York. Photos of Ukrainian civilians and servicemen stopped office workers as they returned from lunch in Seoul on Friday. Police sources say the bomb squad responded to a suspicious package Sunday in Forest Park, Queens that may have been tied to the case. The concussed officer had just graduated from the police academy Friday, and his first assignment was the New Years Eve detail in Times Square, she said. Sewell asked any witnesses to contact the NYPD. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Investigators have been reviewing Bickford's online postings, which included some mentions of Islamic extremist views, a law enforcement official said. When a verdict of not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect is entered, state law requires a judge to order that the defendant undergo a psychiatric examination. Part of HuffPost News. By BY ANDY NEWMAN AND MIHIR ZAVERI from NYT New York Trevor Bickford, a 19-year-old man from Maine, had recently become radicalized and traveled to New York to attack the police, according to a law enforcement official. Multiple law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine. Officials allege the suspect attacked two officers with a machete, unprovoked, just outside the NYPD's high security zone for the New Year's Eve festivities in Times Square. Two of the officers were struck with the machete before an officer shot the man in the shoulder. Authorities identified the suspect at the news conference only as a 19-year-old man. NEW YORK (AP) 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 . 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. Federal and local law enforcement investigators are combing through the suspect's online postings, which indicate recent extremist Islamic radicalization, the sources said. "We believe this was a sole individual. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. ", Cohen added, "Thats why we continue to see instances where people come to the attention of the bureau or law enforcement, theyre assessed that way, they dont meet that threshold, they dont become the subject of a full-field investigation, yet they go out and commit an act of violence.". Mayor Eric Adams said at the news conferencethat he had spoken to one of the wounded officers. He is charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer and two counts of attempted assault. Headed up by "Bike New York," the bicycles for illegal aliens program is working in direct partnership with the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, the New York City Department of Transportation, and other government entities to get bikes into the hands of illegals. Sewell said the attack was unprovoked. Three police officers were wounded in the attack by a 19-year-old male suspect who was shot in the shoulder and arrested, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a press conference with Mayor Eric Adams. "Earlier today, Mr. Bickford was arraigned from Bellevue Hospital after languishing in NYPD custody for nearly four days despite a well-established court requirement that an arraignment take place within 24 hours of arrest," Legal Aid said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. Barriers are set up to prevent vehicle attacks in the secure area. The attack and sound of a gunshot briefly sent some people in the crowd running, but the incident did not impact the festivities in Times Square, which continued uninterrupted. I was just shocked, you know?" ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "It's kind of hard to believe, I was just shocked, you know?" 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Two of the officers were struck. Wake up to the day's most important news. A prosecutor, Alfred Peterson, in his summation, reprised the grievous injuries suffered by several people Mr. Rojas struck with his car, some of whom had testified. Then we pay respect and honor the fallen as we visit the September 11th Museum and Memorial. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Expert contends protocols for evaluating potential suspects are "out of date.". Bickford was shot in the shoulder amid the chaos that ensued. He realized the situation he was in and offered an excuse, Mr. Peterson told jurors. Trevor Bickford's neighbors in his Maine hometown shocked by his alleged conversion to Islam, attack on NYPD cops on New Year's Eve. The NYPD released a photo of the weapon they said was used to attack officers on New Year's Eve. His name is in a federal law enforcement database, they said, and he was known to investigators for his social media postings. Cohen said threats today are very different from ones the nation faced on Sept. 11, 2001. Mr. De Marco also told jurors that Mr. Rojas had not made the statement about wanting to kill people that the police attributed to him. He said a better approach, increasingly adopted by state and local agencies, is to "look at individuals holistically" when they come to the attention of law enforcement. Sewell said the man dealt two of the officers blows to the head, giving an 8-year veteran a head laceration and a recent police academy graduate a skull fracture. The attack happened shortly after 10 p.m. at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, just outside checkpoints for the high-security zone set up for celebrants, officials said at a news conference. The mayor of Saga said Monday that he will accept the deployment of the Ground Self-Defense Force's Osprey transport aircraft to the airport in the city. Terrorist-related propaganda and personal writings were found in his backpack, they said. 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. MEXICO CITY Tens of thousands of Mexicans protested on Sunday against an electoral reform approved by the ruling party-controlled congress that is widely perceived as an attack on democracy ahead of 2024 presidential polls.Political and civic organisations joined forces for the show of discontent, gathering on Mexico City's main square, Zocalo, and in other cities under the slogan # . A local pizza shop employee said panicked revelers fled amid the chaos. "Were dealing with individuals, all of which, regardless of the motive, are experiencing somewhat consistent behavioral health issues," Cohen said. In 2012, Khan pleaded guilty to conspiracy and the murder of 11 innocent civilians in the 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta, Indonesia, and for the attempted [] "I heard a lot of people screaming and yelling and I saw the sirens, and it was total chaos.". All rights reserved, Multiple Cats Found With Horrific Injuries in NYC May Have Been Tortured, Rescuers Say, Nasty Winter Storm Eyes NYC Area: Torrential, 40 MPH Winds and Snow Expected Over 12-Hour Siege, This 26-Year-Old Pays $0 to Live in a Luxury Tiny Home' She Built for $35,000 in Her Backyard Take a Look Inside, Kylie Jenner's Ex, Rapper Travis Scott, Wanted in $12,000 Manhattan Nightclub Mayhem, Winter Storm May Bring More NYC Snow Friday and a Complex Mess to Millions: What to Expect. The NYPD released an image of a weapon, saying it had been recovered at the scene. "What it entails is that you have specially trained law enforcement working with mental health professionals. Associated Press. 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