Terror suspect Trevor Bickford of Wells has 2024 trial for New Year’s Eve attack on NYPD

WELLS, Maine — The new year will bring the trial of Trevor Bickford, who is charged with attacking three police officers with a knife in New York City on New Year's Eve, as revelers counted down to 2023 in Times Square nearby.

Bickford's trial on federal charges is expected to begin on March 18, 2024, according to court documents. Bickford, 20, of Wells, Maine, faces state-level charges, as well.

According to authorities, Bickford carried out the attack as part of his efforts to wage a holy war against military-aged men working for the United States government.

A police officer stopped the attack, which took place a couple of hours before midnight, by shooting Bickford in the shoulder. Bickford was brought to a nearby hospital, where he was treated and interviewed by authorities.

The federal government announced numerous charges against Bickford in February. In October, federal prosecutors dropped one of them after Bickford’s attorneys successfully argued that a potential for “double jeopardy” existed against their client.

As a result, Bickford is now facing charges of attempting to murder three specific police officers. Originally, Bickford had faced those charges and also a charge of attempting to murder middle-aged men working for the U.S. government – meaning, the three police officers.

Previous story: 'Double jeopardy' against Wells, Maine, man dropped in NYC New Year's Eve machete attack

Prosecutors allege attack was 'intensely premeditated'

In court documents, government attorneys allege that Bickford’s attack was “intensely premeditated,” in that he spent months researching radical Islamic ideology. They accused Bickford of thinking of ways to wage jihad.

Bickford converted to Islam in the summer of 2022, according to the government. In early December 2022, he allegedly left a note at a mosque that addressed its members, urging them to “reject democracy.”

“I fear for you a day when no repentance will be accepted,” Bickford allegedly wrote. “You are not upon the saved path. If you are sincere in your devotion to Allah, then reject democracy, and openly declare your enmity and hatred for the kuffar and mushrikeen.”

Also, a year ago this month, family members reported their concerns about Bickford to local authorities. On Dec. 13, FBI agents interviewed Bickford.

Bickford allegedly told the FBI that he had purchased a plane ticket to India, with plans to continue on to Afghanistan, for the purpose of allying with the Taliban and convincing them to help him fight oppression of Muslims in Burma. He allegedly told the FBI that he did not believe in attacking civilians and had no intention of joining al Qaeda.

Bickford allegedly had canceled his trip to Afghanistan because his brother, who was serving in the U.S. military, was expecting to visit.

Bickford is said to have refused signing a consent form that would have allowed the FBI to search his cell phone and laptop.

Around the time of the FBI interview, Bickford allegedly told his brother that he was “scared that he was going to go to federal prison.”

Why did Trevor Bickford allegedly target New York police officers?

According to U.S. attorneys, Bickford turned his attention to the United States after the FBI interview and stepped up his plans to attack, researching al-Qaida, jihad, and information about the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City.

Once near Times Square, Bickford is said to have steeled himself for his coming attack by watching a video featuring Abdullah Yusuf Azzam, the mentor of Osama bin Laden.

Prosecutors say Bickford shouted “Allahu Akbar” — the Arabic phrase for God is great — before striking the officers in the head with the machete and trying to grab an officer's gun. One officer suffered a fractured skull.

Bickford was shot in the shoulder by police and taken to a hospital.

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.”

“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,” New York Assistant District Attorney Lucy Nicholas said.

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

Previous story: Weeks before alleged NYC knife attack, hospital said Bickford not a danger

Did mental health play a role in attack?

Bickford, once an honor roll student, seemed to “spiral downward” after the death of his father in 2018, according to the New York Times. He converted to Islam at some point in the past year and a half and began praying at mosques and reading and watching videos about the religion.

Bickford did not have a prior criminal record, but authorities were aware of him in the weeks leading up to the attack. A member of Bickford’s family contacted the Wells Police Department in early December to express concerns about him and police relayed those concerns to the FBI.

Case documents from the past year also show that the psychiatric department of a local hospital determined on Dec. 10, 2022, that Bickford was not a risk to himself or to others. Bickford had been brought to the hospital by ambulance at the request of his mother, who believed he was “struggling with severe mental illness.” Bickford at that time had been erratic, irrational, obsessed with Islam, and unregulated in his moods, according to court documents.

According to his attorneys, Bickford took a train from Maine to New York City on Dec. 27, “without a diagnosis or a treatment plan.”

After the alleged attack, Bickford was brought to a psychiatric unit after he was treated for his gunshot wound and interviewed by authorities. At the unit, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a bipolar type, and was prescribed “various antipsychotics and mood stabilizers,” according to his attorneys.

In court documents, defense attorneys Jennifer Brown and Marisa Cabrera stated Bickford had been suffering from “auditory hallucinations in the form of ‘popping’ sounds that informed his decision-making as well as accompanying physical sensations.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Trevor Bickford faces trial in 2024 for New Year’s Eve terror attack