What we learned about the Wells man charged in NYC machete attack: Family had called police

NEW YORK CITY — Trevor Bickford, the man from Wells, Maine, charged with attacking police officers with a machete in New York City on New Year’s Eve, allegedly waited until an officer was alone before the attack.

Bickford, 19, whose family had previously raised concern with local police about him, was arraigned Wednesday.

Bickford is charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of attempted assault, and one count of assault, according to the complaint filed against him. If convicted, Bickford would face a mandatory life sentence in prison, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

The court granted a request to hold Bickford without bail, according to Kay Nguyen, the press officer for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Is radical Islamic extremism a factor?

Assistant District Attorney Lucy Nicholas told the court Bickford posed a “significant flight risk,” adding the defendant had specifically traveled to New York from Maine in order to “begin carrying out his crimes of murder of government officials.”

In a criminal complaint, a detective with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force said Bickford told her: “I wanted to kill an officer in uniform.”

Investigators are looking into whether radical Islamic extremism inspired Bickford to carry out his attack.

According to the detective, Bickford said he waited until he saw an officer alone, said “Allahu akbar," walked up to him and hit him over the head with the machete, which he said was a kukri — a machete-like blade with South Asian origins. In Arabic, “Allahu akbar” means “God is great.”

“He said that after he dropped his knife after attacking (the first) officer, he wanted to grab the other officer’s firearm to kill them, but was unable to get the gun out of the holster,” Nicholas said.

Nicholas told the court Bickford had indicated that after he left New York he intended to travel and had purchased an Amtrak ticket to Miami.

Report from New Year's Day:Wells, Maine, man charged with attacking officers with machete in New York City

According to the DA’s office, the defendant stated that all government officials were his targets because they cannot be proper Muslims as a result of the U.S. government’s support for Israel.

Bickford is being defended by Rosemary Vassallo-Vellucci, of the Legal Aid Society, a public defender organization. The Legal Aid Society issued a statement urging the public "to refrain from drawing hasty conclusions and to respect the privacy of our client’s family.”

Bickford is expected to appear in court again on Friday, according to Nguyen.

Trevor Bickford's family contacted police in December

Bickford is accused of carrying out the attack about two hours before midnight on New Year’s Eve, just blocks away from Times Square, where heavy crowds of revelers were counting down to 2023.

Although Bickford did not have a prior criminal record, he nonetheless had been on the radar of authorities in recent weeks.

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A member of Bickford's family contacted the Wells Police Department last month to express her concerns about him. Wells police Capt. Gerald Congdon confirmed Tuesday the town's Police Department received the call from the family member on Dec. 10.

“As a result, we notified the FBI,” Congdon said.

Congdon declined to name the individual who contacted the department, although media reports have stated it was Bickford’s mother.

New York City Police stopped Bickford with a gunshot to the shoulder

Bickford, who was shot by police in the shoulder during the confrontation, was arraigned virtually from his hospital bed.

Three officers were injured in the attack, according to the complaint. One suffered a fractured skull, while the two others suffered lacerations. Two officers were hospitalized and are expected to recover.

The violence happened just outside the high-security zone where New Year's Eve revelers are screened for weapons before gaining entry to Times Square for the countdown to the new year.

Michael Driscoll, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, said investigators believe Bickford acted alone.

Officials in Wells, Maine, offer limited comments

Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam declined to comment on the case – it’s a New York one, she said, and not a local one – but she did say there was no other immediate threat to the community. Putnam also spoke of the fellow officers who had been injured in the assault.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the New York City police officers, and we wish them a speedy recovery,” she said.

Wells Select Board Chair John MacLeod said he did not want to speak for the town but did offer some personal thoughts. He called the attack on police a “horrific act” and said he was concerned for the injured officers and for Bickford’s mother and siblings, especially given the media attention they’ve experienced in Wells this week.

Eileen McSheehy, the principal of Wells High School, where Bickford graduated in June 2022, declined to comment when asked whether additional or particular resources had been put in place this week to assist students who might have known Bickford during his school days.

FBI agents were seen Sunday entering Bickford’s family home on Alpine Drive in Wells. On Tuesday, “No Trespassing” signs were posted at both entrances of the driveway.

Police dig into suspect's past

Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that authorities were beginning to piece together the circumstances of Bickford’s life. Bickford, once an honor roll student, seemed to “spiral downward” after the death of his father in 2018, according to The Times, which cited a law enforcement official who wished to remain anonymous.

According to The Times, Bickford converted to Islam at some point in the past year and a half. He began praying at mosques and reading and watching videos about the religion. The Times said Bickford had become angry about the treatment of Muslims overseas.

Authorities found a diary and a farewell letter that Bickford had written to his family on Saturday, according to the Times.

In the diary, Bickford wrote of his brother, a United States military serviceman, saying he wore the uniform of the enemy, according to The Times.

In the goodbye letter, Bickford addressed his mother, writing, “I fear greatly you will not repent to Allah, and therefore I hold hope in my heart that a piece of you believes so that you may be taken out of the hellfire.”

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.  

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Family of New York machete attack suspect had concerns: What to know