VIDEO: An alleged Islamic extremist who used a machete to attack NYPD officers near Times Square has been identified

At the New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City, a guy from Wells, Maine, brandishing a machete, allegedly attacked three police officers, striking two of them in the head before a policeman shot the man in the shoulder.

A little after 10:00 pm, the attack took place. Just outside the high-security area where revelers are inspected for firearms, about eight blocks from Times Square.

The two officers, one of whom had a broken skull, and the other had a nasty cut, were hospitalized but expected to recover fully.

The accused is 19-year-old Wells resident Trevor Bickford. Bickford had been a student at Wells High.

Some people in the crowd were initially startled by the attack and gunshot, but the festivities in Times Square went on as planned despite the event.

At a press conference, Mayor Eric Adams said he had spoken to one of the injured police officers while the man was receiving medical attention at the hospital.

Adams remarked, “He was in good spirits.” He was aware that his actions today saved New Yorkers’ lives.

Authorities said they did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the public, but an investigation was still ongoing to determine the reason behind the attack.

The FBI’s New York field office associate director, Michael Driscoll, stated that investigators think the assailant acted alone.

The NYPD organizes a vast security operation every year to protect the New Year’s Eve crowd. Numerous brand-new police officers are among the thousands of cops deployed in the region.

According to the mayor, one of the hurt officers only recently received his police academy diploma.

The blocks where the biggest crowds gather to see performances and the midnight ball drop can only be accessed through checkpoints where officers use metal-detecting wands to screen for weapons.

Large bags and coolers are banned. Barriers are set up to prevent vehicle attacks in the secure area.

The security perimeter can only extend so far, though.

The attack took place on 8th Avenue, which is often packed with thick crowds navigating around the frozen zone or trying to find one of the secure entrances.