NEW YORK — A younger Maine man who lately turned fixated with radical Islamic jihadism wounded two NYPD cops with a large curved knife simply exterior the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration, fracturing a rookie officer’s cranium earlier than being shot by police, legislation enforcement sources mentioned Sunday.
Cops and federal investigators at the moment are taking a tough take a look at the web historical past of the 19-year-old suspect, recognized by sources as Trevor Bickford of Wells, Maine, to find out if terrorism motivated the bloody vacation assault, legislation enforcement sources mentioned.
“It’s being investigated as a terror attack, 100 percent,” one high-ranking NYPD official informed the Daily News. “He radicalized about a month ago. He’s not affiliated with any group. It’s more like a lone-wolf situation.”
Bickford expressed extremist beliefs on social media, the official mentioned, including, “He made threats that he was going to attack a public official.”
The teen tried to swing a machete-like blade right into a police officer’s head close to Eighth Avenue and 52nd Street about 10:11 p.m. on Saturday, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell mentioned. He then whacked two different officers within the head with the large blade.
The rookie officer, recognized by sources as Paul Cozzolino, who graduated from the Police Academy on Friday, suffered a “large laceration” to his head and a cranium fracture his first day on the job.
The different wounded cop, an eight-year veteran recognized by sources as Officer Louis Iorio, suffered a reduce to his head, Sewell mentioned.
“One of the officers fired their service weapon, striking the subject in the shoulder,” Sewell mentioned.
Mayor Adams mentioned he met with the on-the-mend rookie officer.
“I spoke with Paul and his dad, who’s named Paul as well, and his mom and his girlfriend as he was being stitched up, and he was in good spirits,” Adams mentioned. “He understood that his role saved lives of New Yorkers today.”
The cop who opened fireplace, Officer Michael Hanna, can be a rookie, police sources mentioned. He joined the NYPD in April.
Iorio and Hanna are each assigned to Staten Island’s 123rd Precinct, however have been among the many phalanx of cops working round Times Square for the New Year’s Eve ball drop.
Workers at a halal stand close to the scene heard the gunshots.
“I heard the sounds only — Bang! Bang!” recounted one of many employees, Prodip Bisws. “People were running, oh my God, they were running.”
Police on the scene rapidly took Bickford into custody.
The officers have been taken to Bellevue Hospital, as was the suspect. All three have been in secure situation, Sewell mentioned.
Bickford got here to New York through Amtrak final Thursday, in line with ABC News.
He has no arrest historical past, however his mom and aunt turned involved about his flip towards jihadist ideologies and reached out to legislation enforcement officers, which put him on the radar of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, ABC News reported, citing legislation enforcement sources.
His mom, Audra D’Antilio Simpson, praised her son on his nineteenth birthday in a July Facebook submit.
“So proud and lucky to be able to call you my son. (You’re) an old soul and you amaze me every day with all that you enjoy to explore and do,” she wrote. “I am so beyond proud of the man you are becoming.”
She has since taken down her public Facebook web page and didn’t reply to messages in search of remark.
Bickford’s dad, Thomas Bickford, died unexpectedly in March 2018, in line with an obituary.
The younger suspect performed soccer in highschool and was a member of the 2020 Wells High School state championship wrestling crew, in line with the Portland Press Herald.
Assistant FBI Director Michael Driscoll informed reporters the bureau was “trying to determine the nature of this attack,” however there gave the impression to be no “ongoing” menace.
Authorities have been nonetheless figuring out Sunday whether or not Bickford will face native or federal prices.
At a information convention with Sewell and different legislation enforcement officers, Adams praised the police dealing with of the incident.
“These officers responded in an admirable, professional manner,” Adams mentioned.
The assault came about simply exterior the safety zone in Times Square, the place hundreds gathered for the annual ball drop. Police screened revelers for contraband akin to alcohol, giant baggage and weapons.
The assault on the three cops occurred 10 brief blocks north and one lengthy block west of the center of Times Square.
In an earlier incident, about 8:45 p.m., two males have been taken into custody after they bought right into a knife struggle on the intersection of W. forty second Street and Sixth Avenue, close to Bryant Park, additionally exterior the Times Square safety zone.
One of the lads was taken to Bellevue Hospital.
Times Square was focused for a terrorist assault in May 2010, when a Pakistani immigrant tried to detonate a automobile bomb within the Crossroads of the World. The bomb by no means went off, and Faisal Shahzad was sentenced to life in jail.
In December 2017, Akayed Ullah, who dreamed of martyring himself for ISIS, tried to set off a do-it-yourself bomb within the underground passageway between the Times Square subway station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. No one was killed, and he, too, was in the end sentenced to life in jail.
Also in 2017, accused white supremacist James Harris Jackson killed a random Black man, Timothy Caughman, with a sword in Times Square, later telling police the slaying was “practice” for a racist killing spree. Jackson, who was charged with homicide as an act of terror, is serving a life sentence in state jail.
———
— Emma Seiwell, Mark Stamey, Rocco Parascandola, Bill Sanderson and John Annese New York Daily News — (New York Daily News reporter Thomas Tracy contributed.)
Source: www.bostonherald.com”