New Year's Eve attack on New York police linked to Islamist extremism
The attack, which officials say was unprovoked, took place before midnight outside a secure area set up for New Year's Eve celebrations.
By REUTERS
Published: JANUARY 4, 2023
The teenager accused of attacking three policemen with a machete on New Year's Eve near Times Square and charged with attempted murder was linked to Islamist extremism, a senior New York City Police Department official said on Tuesday.
"He knew what he was doing. He knew why he was doing it and he thought he would die in the attack," Thomas Galati, the department's chief of intelligence and counterterrorism, told ABC News in an interview on Tuesday. "He did yell out 'Allahu Akbar.'" The Arabic expression means "God is Great."
The FBI interviewed the suspect, Trevor Bickford, last month in Maine after his mother reported her concern that her son was possibly becoming radicalized, Galati said. Agents determined that Bickford wanted to fight in Afghanistan and placed him on a federal watch list to prevent him from traveling overseas.
more............. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-726574
The attack, which officials say was unprovoked, took place before midnight outside a secure area set up for New Year's Eve celebrations.
By REUTERS
Published: JANUARY 4, 2023
The teenager accused of attacking three policemen with a machete on New Year's Eve near Times Square and charged with attempted murder was linked to Islamist extremism, a senior New York City Police Department official said on Tuesday.
"He knew what he was doing. He knew why he was doing it and he thought he would die in the attack," Thomas Galati, the department's chief of intelligence and counterterrorism, told ABC News in an interview on Tuesday. "He did yell out 'Allahu Akbar.'" The Arabic expression means "God is Great."
The FBI interviewed the suspect, Trevor Bickford, last month in Maine after his mother reported her concern that her son was possibly becoming radicalized, Galati said. Agents determined that Bickford wanted to fight in Afghanistan and placed him on a federal watch list to prevent him from traveling overseas.
more............. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-726574
