NYC Attack: Suspect Reportedly Wanted to Join Taliban

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Facts

  • Law enforcement sources have revealed that the 19-year-old suspect of attacking three NYPD officers with a machete on New Year's Eve just outside a Times Square checkpoint at West 52nd St. and 8th Av. carried a handwritten diary expressing a desire to join the Taliban and die for his religion. The suspect was arrested Monday and faces multiple charges of attempted murder of a police officer.
  • Maine teenager Trevor Bickford, who was already on an FBI terrorism watchlist after his relatives tipped off the agency about his alleged radicalization, had also reportedly written a manifesto urging his family to "repent to Allah and accept Islam" in his diary.
  • Bickford, who is hospitalized after an NYPD officer opened fire in defense, reportedly expressed pro-jihadist views overnight. His notes indicate that he was on a suicide mission and regretted disappointing his mother.
  • Police announced on Monday that he has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and two counts of attempted assault, with an anonymous official adding that he may face terrorism charges as the investigation continues.
  • Bickford, who is believed to have acted alone, approached a police officer shortly after 10 p.m. on Saturday and allegedly tried to strike him in the head with a machete before hitting two other policemen in the head. The attacker was later shot in the shoulder by one of the officers.
  • It is assumed that the suspect, who allegedly made his way to New York City on Amtrak alone, converted to Islam after his father died of a drug overdose in 2018 and became radicalized in recent years.

Sources: CNN, New York Post, NBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Daily Mail.

Narratives

  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by InfoWars. Unfortunately, the troubled FBI has shown how incompetent it is as a law enforcement agency. Bickford was already the subject of an investigation by the FBI. He had so many red flags, including a desire to join the Taliban — it is outrageous that the Bureau couldn't prevent this heinous attack.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by HuffPost. This incident was handled well by NYPD and continues to be investigated thoroughly by federal authorities. As a young man with no prior criminal record, it was difficult to predict his actions on Saturday night, though more will be uncovered as the probe continues. Federal investigators will no doubt shed more light on Bickford's tragic path to radicalization.