A man who the authorities said carried out an attempt “in the name of jihad” to kill three New York City police officers near Times Square during the 2022 New Year’s Eve celebration pleaded guilty to federal charges on Thursday.
The man, Trevor Bickford, who appeared in U.S. District Court in Manhattan wearing the tan scrubs of a federal prisoner, pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder of law enforcement officers and three counts of assault of law enforcement officers.
Reading from a short statement, Mr. Bickford, 20, told the judge, P. Kevin Castel, that he had “attempted to kill three uniformed N.Y.P.D. officers” while they were working on New Year’s Eve.
“I know what I did was wrong,” he told the court, “and I’m sorry.”
By pleading guilty, Mr. Bickford avoids a federal trial. His sentencing is scheduled for April 11; he faces a maximum sentence of 120 years in prison for the charges.
Mr. Bickford, who was joined by his mother, stepfather and two aunts in court on Thursday, is also facing state charges of attempted murder in the first degree and attempted assault stemming from the attack. A trial date has not been set in that case, according to a spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
In a statement after the plea, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said, “Bickford targeted the iconic yearly celebration to carry out brazen acts of violence and hatred in the name of jihad.”
We are having trouble retrieving the article content.
Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
