A 19-year-old Wells man was indicted on 18 counts, including murder charges, on Friday for a machete attack on police in New York City on New Year’s Eve.
Trevor Bickford faces three charges of attempted first degree murder, three counts of murder in the first degree as an act of terrorism and at least a dozen other charges related to terrorism and assault of a police officer, the Portland Press Herald reported.
The indictment was announced by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Friday, but is expected to be released to the public on Feb 1., when Bickford is expected to appear in New York Supreme Court, according to the Portland newspaper.
Prosecutors say Bickford specifically went after police officers with a machete and tried to grab one of their guns before getting shot in the shoulder.
Bickford was reportedly influenced by Islamic extremists in the months before the attack.
Prosecutors said during a hearing that Bickford came to New York “in order to kill people and carry out Jihad.”
In court documents, prosecutors also outline parts of an interview with Bickford after the attack.
“I wanted to kill an officer in uniform. I saw the officer and waited until he was alone,” Bickford told officers. “I said, ‘Allauh Akbar.’ I walked up and hit him over the head with a kukri. I charged another officer but dropped the knife and I tried to get the police officer’s gun but couldn’t.”
All three injured officers are expected to recover.
One of the officers, who suffered a fractured skull during the attack, had just graduated from the police academy Friday and was on his first day on the job.
Police believe Bickford acted alone. The FBI is investigating reports that he had been radicalized online by Islamic extremists.
A high-ranking police source told CBS News Bickford was placed on the terrorist watchlist after his aunt reported that he’d been radicalized online and expressed a desire to travel overseas and join Islamic extremists.
