NYE slashing suspect Trevor Bickford charged with attempted murder of police officers
Bickford, 19, allegedly traveled from Maine to carry out the attack in Manhattan
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Authorities have charged Trevor Bickford, 19, with attempted murder and assault after he allegedly attacked two New York City police officers with a machete in Manhattan on New Year's Eve.
Bickford, who is believed to have traveled from Maine, is charged with two counts of attempted murder of an officer and two counts of attempted assault. The NYPD and FBI are handling the investigation together, and FBI agents reportedly entered Bickford's Maine home on Monday.
Authorities are investigating Bickford for potential ties to Islamic extremism. A high-level police source told Fox News Digital that Bickford was being watched by the FBI's counterterrorism task force in the weeks leading up to Saturday's attack. The source also said Bickford recently converted to Islam and a tipster claimed he had expressed interest in going to Afghanistan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bickford's attack struck a rookie police officer first, identified only as "Paul." Bickford slashed Paul in the head and then caused minor injuries to another officer before being shot in the shoulder.
MULTIPLE NYPD OFFICERS STABBED WITH MACHETE NEAR TIMES SQUARE
Trevor Bickford, 19
Police say this weapon was used to attack two NYC police officers on New Year's Eve.
The FBI's New York field office did not immediately respond to a request to confirm the FBI's visit to Bickford's home.
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NYC Mayor Eric Adams praised the officers' response in a press conference Sunday morning, saying that the two who were attacked were in stable condition and expected to recover.
"And as we do a preliminary review of the bodycam video, we see how well these officers executed the plan that was put in place by the New York City Police Department in ensuring we protect those who came here to bring in a new year," he told reporters.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While authorities are investigating Bickford's potential ties to extremism, he is not facing any terrorism-related charges at this time.
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"I want to be clear that the FBI, through the Joint Terrorism Task Force, is working very closely with [NYPD] to determine the nature of this attack," the FBI's Michael Driscoll said at the Sunday news conference. "And we will run every lead to ground. I also want to be very clear, as you've heard said tonight previously, this is very much an ongoing investigation, so our ability to talk about specifics is limited."