A police detail near the Times Square ball drop was attacked Saturday night by an alleged Islamic extremist wielding a knife, law enforcement sources familiar with the matter told the New York Post.
Three officers were injured by 19-year-old Trevor Bickford, who was shot in the shoulder during his attack. New York City police commissioner Keechant Sewell released a photo of the knife, purported to be 18 inches long, during a press conference with Mayor Eric Adams in attendance.
The attack comes as New York City braced for a full return of tourists for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic started nearly three years ago. Among the measures the city adopted in anticipation for the influx of tourists was the deployment of a bomb squad, K-9 teams, a heavy weapons team, and even the deployment of drones.
Bickford was reportedly on an FBI watchlist due to concerns about his radicalization. Bickford’s aunt had alerted police to statements her nephew made expressing a desire to travel and fight in Afghanistan against coalition forces, the New York Post noted.
All three officers injured in the attack are expected to make a full recovery.