Maine Man Faces Terrorism Charges in Attack on NYPD Officers

A New York City grand jury has indicted Trevor Bickford of Wells on terrorism charges in an attack with a machete on three NYPD officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve.

The 19-year-old faces eighteen felony counts in the charges from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, following the stabbing of two officers and an attempt to stab a third just blocks from where thousands were gathered to watch the ball drop to welcome the new year. One of the officers shot Bickford in the shoulder.

"We are grateful for our NYPD officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, as well as our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement to CBS News Friday. "All eyes are on Times Square on New Year's Eve and these charges reflect the seriousness of this alleged threat to the safety of our city and our officers."

Bickford is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 1, according to Bragg.

The officers were released from Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan the day after the attack.

The new charges are:

Attempted Murder in the First Degree (3 counts)
Attempted Murder in the First Degree in Furtherance of an Act of Terrorism (3 counts)
Assault in the First Degree as a Crime of Terrorism (1 count)
Assault in the First Degree (1 count)
Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer as a Crime of Terrorism (1 count)
Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer (1 count)
Attempted Assault in the First Degree as a Crime of Terrorism (2 counts)
Attempted Assault in the First Degree (2 counts)
Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer as a Crime of Terrorism (2 counts)
Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer (2 counts)

Bickford is a graduate of Wells High School and was a member of the football and wrestling teams. He arrived in New York on Deember 29 with the intent to commit jihad against a representative of the government, and targeted the officers, prosecutors said in court on Wednesday.

The FBI spent Sunday searching the home of Bickford, according to WMTW TV, with agents carrying boxes of items out of the house on Alpine Drive.

Bickford was on the FBI's watch list prior to the attacks after his family notified police when they became concerned about his wish to join the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH