Tag: home

What made an all-American teen become radicalized, and

so determined to wage jihad that he took a train from a

small town in Maine to New York City in order to shout

“Allahu akbar!” and attack three policeman at Times

Square on New Year’s Eve? Though no one died, this is

not just another ho-hum attack – like we’ve become

desensitized to. It portends a very dangerous future.

Trevor Bickman, 19, led a life that was almost too

wholesome to be true. From honor roll to playing on his

high school’s champion football team, to marching with

the color guard and more. It was a Norman Rockwell

childhood… until it wasn’t. Although he’d dreamed of

becoming an American soldier, he converted to Islam after

his father’s suicide in 2018, and became radicalized

shortly before his N.Y. machete attack. We take a deep

dive into Trevor’s mind, and explore his family secrets

to understand what makes him tick.

Trevor’s handwritten manifesto and social media

posts, finally convinced a grand jury that this was not

just some teenager out for thrills, but a real jihadi. So,

they added terrorism to the charges of attempted murder

and attempted assault of police officers. But, how many

more Trevor Bickfords are sitting at home, feeling lost,

looking for a purpose, and wanting desperately to belong

to a ‘family’ who appreciates them… even if it’s a family of

terrorists!