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!
