Man Gets 27 Years Behind Bars After New Year’s Attack

(USNewsBreak.com) – Then-19-year-old Trevor Bickford traveled from Maine to New York City on New Year’s Eve in 2022. For most people, that would be a trip to see the infamous ball drop in Times Square. For Bickford, the visit was more menacing in nature. That night, he attacked three NYPD officers with a machete-style knife. A NY court recently sentenced him for his crimes.

On December 31, 2022, Bickford attacked the officers, identified as Mickel Hanna, Louis Iorio, and Paul Cozzolino, “in the name of jihad.” Watching online videos had radicalized the suspect. According to the Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs, he intended to “kill as many targets as possible.”

Man sentenced to 27 years for stabbing 3 officers in Times Square on New Year's Evehttps://t.co/wiR7fh9COs

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Wielding the knife, Bickford fractured one of the officer’s skulls. Another cop fired on him and struck his shoulder, putting an end to his reign of terror before it could really begin. However, he was proud of his efforts and proclaimed that he planned “to kill as many military-aged men who worked for the U.S. Government as he could,” according to the press release. He believed he would then become a martyr.

While investigating Bickford and the attack, authorities determined that he premeditated the entire plan. They found evidence that showed he initially planned to travel overseas to align himself with the Taliban but later changed his mind and decided to carry out the attack in New York City.

Shortly after the attack, Bickford pleaded guilty to multiple counts of attempted murder and assault. At the time, he told the court he was sorry despite his earlier proclamations.

On May 9, more than a year after his plea, the court sentenced Bickford to 27 years in federal prison. Once again, he asked for forgiveness, acknowledging it was “a tall order.” In addition to the federal charges of terrorism, he is also facing state charges of attempted assault and first-degree attempted murder. The court hasn’t set a trial date in that case yet.