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A man wielding a machete attacked three police officers at the New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City, authorities said, striking two of them in the head before an officer shot the man in the shoulder.
Authorities were investigating whether the man was inspired by radical Islamist extremism, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
The attack happened a little after 10pm about eight blocks from Times Square, just outside of the high-security zone where revelers are screened for weapons.
The two officers were hospitalized, one with a fractured skull and the other with a bad cut, and were expected to recover.
Police did not identify the 19-year-old suspect, who also was expected to recover, but the law enforcement official identified him to the Associated Press as Trevor Bickford, of Wells, Maine.
Investigators think Bickford traveled to New York City earlier in the week and are examining whether he came to New York specifically to attack police officers at one of the largest New Year’s celebrations in the world, the law enforcement official said.
New York City police and federal officials are still trying to discern a motive, and investigators have been reviewing Bickford’s online postings, which included some mentions of Islamic extremist views, the official said. The official could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
The attack and sound of a gunshot briefly sent some people in the crowd running, but the incident did not impact the festivities in Times Square, which continued uninterrupted.
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.
“He was in good spirits,” Adams said. “He understood that his role saved lives of New Yorkers today.”
An investigation was underway to pinpoint a motive for the attack, but authorities said they didn’t believe there was any ongoing threat to the public.
Keechant Sewell, the police commissioner, said: “We are working with our federal partners for this investigation and it is ongoing … there is no active threat at this time.”
The NYPD mounts a massive security operation every year to keep the New Year’s Eve crowd safe. Thousands of officers are sent to the area, including many new recruits.
One of the injured officers just graduated from the police academy on Friday, the mayor said.
The blocks where the biggest crowds gather to see performances and the midnight ball drop can be accessed only through checkpoints where officers use metal-detecting wands to screen for weapons.
English (US)