Islamic Extremism Drove Suspect in Times Square Attack, Official Says - The New York Times

The antheral charged with attacking 3 constabulary officers with a machete adjacent Times Square connected New Year’s Eve had traveled to New York from his location successful Maine to injure the constabulary successful an enactment of Islamic extremism, a elder instrumentality enforcement authoritative said connected Monday.

The man, Trevor Bickford, 19, has been charged with 2 counts of attempted execution and 2 counts of attempted assault, the constabulary announced connected Monday. Mr. Bickford whitethorn look coercion charges arsenic well, said the instrumentality enforcement official, who spoke connected the information of anonymity to sermon a continuing investigation.

Shortly aft 10 p.m. connected Saturday, the constabulary said, Mr. Bickford acceptable upon 3 officers who were lasting adjacent the country of Eighth Avenue and 52nd Street, conscionable extracurricular the information cordon for the Times Square celebrations, earlier 1 of the 3 officers changeable him successful the shoulder. One officer, who had conscionable graduated from the constabulary academy, suffered a fractured skull successful the onslaught and remains hospitalized successful unchangeable condition, the constabulary said.

The different 2 officers, including the 1 who changeable Mr. Bickford, person been released from the hospital, portion Mr. Bickford remains hospitalized successful unchangeable condition, the instrumentality enforcement authoritative said.

Sometime connected Saturday earlier the attack, the authoritative said, Mr. Bickford wrote a farewell missive to his household successful a diary that was recovered connected him afterward. In it, helium wrote to his mother, “I fearfulness greatly you volition not repent to Allah and truthful I clasp anticipation successful my bosom that a portion of you believes truthful that you whitethorn beryllium taken retired of the hellfire.”

Mr. Bickford besides referred successful his diary to his brother, who is successful the U.S. military, arsenic having assumed the azygous of the enemy, the instrumentality enforcement authoritative said.

Investigators person begun to portion unneurotic a representation of the suspect’s life, the authoritative said. Mr. Bickford is simply a autochthonal of Wells, fractional an hr southbound of Portland, Maine. He was a precocious schoolhouse athlete, an grant rotation pupil and an award-winning creator who seemed to spiral downward aft his begetter died of a cause overdose respective years ago. Sometime successful the past twelvemonth and a half, helium converted to Islam, often praying astatine mosques successful the vicinity and devouring readings and videos astir the religion. He was angered by the persecution of Muslims overseas, including of the Rohingya successful Myanmar and the Uyghurs successful China, and decided to spell overseas and combat for them.

After his household alerted instrumentality enforcement of his program to spell overseas, helium said that helium planned alternatively to question domestically, and successful peace. He near Maine successful aboriginal December with respective 1000 dollars successful cash, a debit oregon recognition card, and the machete. By past Thursday, helium had arrived by bid successful New York.

Mr. Bickford spent Friday nighttime astatine a edifice successful the Bowery successful Manhattan, stopped by the Bowery Mission and made a ample donation successful accordance with Muslim tenets of charity. He took the subway to Queens, wherever the constabulary aboriginal recovered immoderate of his possessions, including a sleeping bag, a furniture rotation and food, successful Forest Park successful Richmond Hill. The constabulary are investigating whether helium met idiosyncratic there.

By midafternoon connected New Year’s Eve, Mr. Bickford was successful Times Square. Because helium wanted to onslaught lone the police, not bystanders, helium waited until helium recovered officers who were not lasting adjacent different civilians.