On Wednesday, after about six hours of deliberation, jurors found Mr. Rojas not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect on one count of murder and 23 assault charges. Investigators believe Bickford traveled to New York City earlier in the week and are looking into whether he came to New York specifically to attack police officers. SHARE. Mr. Rojas spent two months inside a Navy brig and in 2014 received what the Navy called an other than honorable discharge. A Maine teenager charged in a New Year 's Eve machete attack on three New York City cops near Times Square was arraigned from a hospital bed on Wednesday as . Richard Rojas, a Navy veteran, spiraled after he was discharged. Authorities say Bickford whipped. For now, we ask the public to refrain from drawing hasty conclusions and to respect the privacy of our clients family.". The man, who made pro-jihadist statements from his hospital bed overnight, is believed to have traveled from Wells to lower Manhattan on Thursday mainly via Amtrak, those sources said. Two psychiatrists also took the stand for the defense, with one testifying that Mr. Rojas gave a name, James, to a disembodied voice that he said he heard. Police have closed down the immediate area for their investigation. He could still face federal terrorism charges. "Threat assessment is a systematic, fact-based method of investigation and examination that blends the collection of analysis of multiple sources of information with published research and practitioner experience, focusing on an individual's patterns of thinking and behavior to determine whether, and to what extent, a person of concern is moving toward an attack," the report states. Trusted News Discovery Since 2008. "It just goes to show you, it could be your first day or it could be your last day, the actions that police officers must take every day are life-threatening situations," Adams said. The attack is being investigated as a possible incident of terrorism because of online postings Bickford made before the attack. ground.news. Relatives had reportedly contacted law enforcement in recent weeks to report their concerns that he was gravitating toward dangerous Islamist ideologies. It is powerful evidence that he knew what had happened in Times Square., Driver in Fatal Times Square Attack Found Not Responsible Because of Mental Illness, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/nyregion/driver-times-square-attack-terrorism.html. The NYPD released a photo of the weapon they said was used to attack officers on New Year's Eve. Investigators are interested in what brought him to the park in a remote part of the city and whether he intended to meet anyone. First published on January 2, 2023 / 12:31 PM. "Earlier today, Mr. Bickford was arraigned from Bellevue Hospital after languishing in NYPD custody for nearly four days despite a well-established court requirement that an arraignment take place within 24 hours of arrest," Legal Aid said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Large bags and coolers are banned. Mar 1, 2023. When Mr. Rojas returned to the Bronx, friends said, he seemed paranoid and irritable, expressing scorn for the government and railing against taxes, parking tickets and police stops. ), ALSO READ | 'Eyewitness to 2022,' examining the stories that defined the year, * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts. But Cohen conceded there are likely "thousands" of reports like the one flagged to authorities in Maryland. The FBI evaluated Bickford when his mother informed the agency he was gravitating toward Islamic extremism, officials said. Investigators were probing whether he stayed at a homeless shelter downtown, the four officials said. The family, he said, would not get to tell the court about the impact of his daughters death. After the suspect's mother flagged her son's gravitation toward Islamic extremism last month, the FBI interviewed Bickford and determined he sought to travel to Afghanistan to fight for the cause, law enforcement sources told ABC News. Trevor Bickford, 19, has been charged with attempted murder for attacking New York City police officers on New Year's Eve near Times Square. The actions that police officers must take every day are life-threatening situations," Adams said. They look at individuals holistically. "Those officers discharged one round. But Wells has, you know, a really small school system. Wake up to the day's most important news. All rights reserved, Multiple Cats Found With Horrific Injuries in NYC May Have Been Tortured, Rescuers Say, Nasty Winter Storm Eyes NYC Area: Torrential, 40 MPH Winds and Snow Expected Over 12-Hour Siege, This 26-Year-Old Pays $0 to Live in a Luxury Tiny Home' She Built for $35,000 in Her Backyard Take a Look Inside, Kylie Jenner's Ex, Rapper Travis Scott, Wanted in $12,000 Manhattan Nightclub Mayhem, Winter Storm May Bring More NYC Snow Friday and a Complex Mess to Millions: What to Expect. A diary found by investigators may have indicated the suspect believed he was on a suicide mission: He left notes about who would inherit belongings and where he wanted to be buried, the sources said. 1:15. "We are really pleased by the response and how our officers handled this situation," Mayor Eric Adams said. The still photo image taken from a surveillance camera shows the Nissan Pathfinder used in the attack crossing through Times Square. Concern about the safety of everyone was there, they immediately terminated the threat. Primary Menu Sections Skip to search results An "unprovoked" machete attack on three New York City police officers near Times Square on New Year's Eve is being investigated as a possible terrorist incident. Police provide photo of machete allegedly belonging to 19-year-old suspect. He also allegedly said he considered all government officials targets because they couldn't be proper Muslims given the United States government's support of Israel. The knife, which NYPD officials said was old and rusty, was purchased in Maine, where Bickford also withdrew thousands of dollars in cash at some point before taking Amtrak to New York on December 29. A local pizza shop employee said panicked revelers fled amid the chaos. He remained hospitalized on Wednesday, but was out of bed to face a judge via video. CBS2's Tim McNicholas spoke to that officer briefly Monday. This is no place for sweaty palms. The attack happened shortly after 10 p.m. at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, just outside checkpoints for the high-security zone set up for celebrants, officials said at a news conference. Neither the FBI nor New York police were on the lookout for any other suspects, officials said. One of the injured officers only graduated from the police academy that Friday, the mayor said. The attack happened near 52nd Street and 8th Avenue just after 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve, less than two hours before the ball dropped in Times Square to ring in 2023. Times Square was targeted for a terrorist attack in May 2010, when a Pakistani immigrant tried to detonate a car bomb in the Crossroads of the World. Investigators have said they believe Bickford acted alone. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "We believe this was a sole individual at this time, there's nothing to suggest otherwise," said Mike Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the New York FBI Field Office. "He stated he specifically targeted the uniformed police officer because an officer is a man in uniform with a weapon and often in the military are targets for the defendant," Nicholas added as she formally requested remand. Nous, Yahoo, faisons partie de la famille de marques Yahoo. Cop hanging out over Times Square. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. The attack happened near 52nd Street and 8th Avenue just after 10 p.m. Saturday, less than two hours before the ball dropped in Times Square to ring in 2023. Mr. Rojas killed one woman and injured a score of people as he sped through one of the citys busiest areas. He is expected back in court for a grand jury on Friday. It is being probed as a possible terrorist attack. "The last entry in there says, 'This is likely to be my final entry,' it's dated December 31, 2022," said CNN Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst and former deputy NYPD Commissioner John Miller. Mike Driscoll, assistant director for the New York FBI field office, said at the press conference that agents are working very closely with the NYPD to determine the nature of this attack. Driscoll declined to offer any further details. Still, police allege he was able to carry out what could be New York's latest terror attack. A New Years Eve machete attack on police officers near Manhattans Times Square is being investigated by the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force. David Lyugovski, of California, told ABC News that he saw dozens of officers, some with guns drawn, running toward the scene of the incident. Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference that he had spoken to one of the wounded officers as he was being stitched up at the hospital. "There has been no 'attack' today or over the weekend in New York City as referenced by that Instagram post," the department wrote in an email. All three NYPD members were taken to Bellevue Hospital and were expected to survive. They planned to search for more evidence at his Maine home. Trevor Bickford, charged in the attack on 3 NYPD officers near Times Square, may have been motivated by Islamic extremism. Japan's revised three key national security documents, which now clarify the possession of so-called counterstrike capabilities, are expected to boost the country's . The 19-year-old being held by New York City police as the suspect in a New Year's Eve machete attack against three police officers just outside a Times Square security screening zone carried. Times Square machete attack suspect now facing terrorism charges The 19-year-old suspect who allegedly attacked three police officers with a machete at a New Year's Eve celebration near Times. Anyone can read what you share. So everybody kind of knows everybody.". In a public statement made announcing the . The judge who heard the case, Daniel Conviser, ordered that Mr. Rojas be held, and said he would draft an examination order. Investigators are looking into whether the suspect came to the annual ball drop specifically to wage an attack on law enforcement, the sources said. One of the injured officers, an eight-year veteran of the NYPD, suffered a laceration to the head, officials said. The attacks occurred outside the security screening area set up around Times Square for the traditional New Years Eve ball drop. There was Caroline Johns, an executive assistant, who was out for lunch; she suffered a punctured lung. I was just shocked, you know?" This incident follows other lone-wolf terror-type attacks on NYPD officers. May 21, 2021 at 6:46 pm Expand Joseph Borgen, pictured, said anti-Semitic assailants appeared out of nowhere Thursday at the corner of W. 48th St. and Seventh Ave. in Times Square, Manhattan,. 1:15. Here's a rundown of this wonderful program: Day One: After an early morning departure we arrive at West . "It has become increasingly clear that the protocols used by federal and local authorities to assess the risk posed by individuals who exhibit threat-related behaviors is out of date and inconsistent with the current threat facing the nation," said Cohen, now an ABC News contributor. "Most prominently, Islamic State supporters have recently been resharing content that was produced in 2016 at the height of the Islamic State's self-proclaimed caliphate, meant to inspire lone actors to conduct low budget or self-starting attacks by using knives, trucks, cars, and other rudimentary weapons in order to cause havoc in public settings.". He remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. "Somebody's yelling, 'Calm down, calm down,' because everybody's on edge," Dyachkin said. The security perimeter can only extend so far, though. Thomas Galati, NYPD Chief of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said the suspect in Saturday night's Times Square attack, was interviewed by FBI agents last month in Maine after his mother reported concerns that her son was possibly becoming radicalized. Slectionnez Grer les paramtres pour grer vos prfrences. Police say attack happened around 10 p.m. Just after 10 p.m. he went to the Times Square checkpoint at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue where officers check bags for weapons or suspicious. Jiji. "I heard a lot of people screaming and yelling and I saw the sirens, and it was total chaos.". Mayor Hidetaka . "People trying to get into the store, people rushing out," said Fiorentina Pizzeria owner Mike Sicilliano. I walked up and hit him over the head with a kukri. Finally, hes going to get the care he really needs.. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. Should authorities determine the attack was motivated by an Islamist ideology it would make it the first-ever terror incident associated with New Year's Eve in Times Square, something the NYPD and FBI have long feared and prepared for. Omar Mateen, who in 2016 killed 49 people and wounded 53 more in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was allowed to legally purchase an AR-style rifle and a handgun, despite his name appearing on a federal watch list after being interviewed three times by the FBI in the years leading up to the massacre at the gay nightclub, according to authorities. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Informations sur votre appareil et sur votre connexion Internet, y compris votre adresseIP, Navigation et recherche lors de lutilisation des sites Web et applications Yahoo. 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