Trevor Bickford: Alleged Times Square 'terrorist' who slashed NYPD cops released from hospital
Warning: This article contains recollection of crime that may trigger some readers. Discretion is advised.
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: The alleged Islamic terrorist Trevor Bickford who attacked NYPD cops with a machete on New Year's Eve has reportedly been released from the Bellevue hospital. The 19-year-old Wells, Maine, native is charged with slashing NYPD officers in Times Square in New York City.
Bickford who suffers from wounds on his shoulder after he was shot by an officer in the attack, has been placed as an "alleged Islamic extremist" on a watchlist by the FBI, according to the New York Post. The teenager "became a radicalized Muslim in recent years." During a press conference on January 1, 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced that three NYPD officers had been hurt in the machete attack.
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Following his radicalization, Bickford is on a "guardian list," after it was notified to police by his mother and aunt when he told his aunt about his intention to fight, once he travels and reaches the Middle East as per a New York Post report.
Bickford was arrested following the slashing on Eighth Avenue between 51st and 52nd Street on December 31, while a huge crowd flocked to the high-security area in Times Square. He then allegedly told the officers that he wanted to attack someone armed or a uniformed officer, before making the brutal plan to attack, as he considered these officers as the “enemy of the state.”
According to a preliminary investigation, the teenager who has no criminal history attacked three NYPD officers. The cops were Louis Iorio, an eight-year veteran who suffered a hard blow to the head, Paul Cozzolino, a rookie and a recent graduate from Police Academy rookie who suffered a fractured skull, and another rookie Michael Hanna who shot Bickford on his shoulder while he was also attacked by the alleged terrorist. Iorio and Cozzolino were treated and released from Bellevue Hospital while Hanna got released from Mount Sinai West.
MEAWW previously reported that his mother Audra D'Antilio expressed her affection for her son several times and referred to Bickford as an "old soul". Her second son Devon who has appeared along with Bickford in one of the pictures she shared on social media further disclosed that Devon is a US Army soldier.
According to the New York Post, the alleged jihadist requested his family to “please repent to Allah and accept Islam,” and as recently as a month ago, Bickford reportedly become "radicalized". In the violent slashing incident, Bickford's charges are pending against him.