WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
Trevor Bickford, 20, of Wells, Maine, pleaded guilty Jan. 11 to multiple counts of attempting to kill officers and employees of the U.S. government and persons assisting them based on his jihadist attack using a machete-style knife against three New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 2022.
According to court documents, in December 2022, Bickford, a U.S. citizen and resident of Maine, traveled from Maine to New York City to, in his own words, wage jihad and kill as many of his targets as possible. After considering his options, researching his target location, and settling on his plan of attack, he packed a large machete-like blade and went to one of the most densely populated areas in the United States at one of the most densely populated times possible: Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
Bickford then chose to ambush three NYPD officers, declared “Allahu Akbar,” an Arabic phrase meaning “God is great” that other radical Islamic extremists have similarly proclaimed while carrying out terrorist attacks, and attacked them with his blade, seriously injuring all three officers. One of the officers managed to shoot Bickford in the shoulder, halting his violent rampage. Bickford later declared that he carried out his attack to wage jihad and admitted that his goal was to kill as many military-aged men who worked for the U.S. government as he could before himself becoming a martyr.
Bickford spent months consuming materials espousing radical Islamic ideology – including materials promoting the Taliban and reflecting the teachings of Sheikh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, a prominent radical Islamic cleric who was a spiritual mentor of al Qaeda – and contemplating ways to wage jihad. As he immersed himself deeper into this propaganda, Bickford devoted himself to violent Islamic extremism and pursuit of the jihad that he would eventually unleash in the heart of New York City.
In the months leading up to his attack, Bickford focused on traveling overseas to support the Taliban in Afghanistan or elsewhere. He planned to ally himself with the Taliban to fight against governments that, in his view, oppress Muslims, and to wage jihad against officials of governments that he believes are anti-Muslim, including the U.S. Government. Ultimately, Bickford decided that he would not travel overseas and instead turned his attention to an attack in the United States.
After months of radicalization, this decision resulted in Bickford perpetrating his attack in Times Square on New Year’s Eve just over a year ago. Near the scene of the attack, law enforcement recovered a book from Bickford’s backpack with the following passage highlighted: “Fight in the Name of Allah and in the Cause of Allah. Fight against those who do not believe in Allah. Wage a holy war.”
Bickford pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted murder of officers and employees of the U.S. government and persons assisting them, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and three counts of assault of officers and employees of the U.S. government and persons assisting them, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The charges carry an aggregate potential sentence of 120 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J.C. Hellman, Sarah L. Kushner, and Kaylan E. Lasky for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney D. Andrew Sigler of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 1-16-2024 at 12 p.m.
2024 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2023)
- Total Mass Shootings: 16
- Total Dead: 25
- Total Wounded: 57
- Shootings Per Day: 1
- Days Reached in Year 2023 as of Jan. 16: 16
EUROPE
1.4 MILLION SAVED BY VACCINE
COVID-19 vaccines saved at least 1.4 million lives in Europe – “irrefutable” proof of the power of these inoculations, the regional head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Jan. 16.
Delivering his first message of the new year, Dr. Hans Kluge stressed that without vaccines, the death toll on the continent “could have been around four million, possibly even higher.”
More than 2.5 million COVID-19 deaths, and 277 million confirmed cases, were reported in the vast WHO European Region, which comprises 53 countries stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
Analysis of 34 countries showed that most people whose lives were saved by vaccines, 90 percent, were over 60.
The vaccines reduced deaths by 57 percent in the period between their rollout in December 2020 through March 2023, with the first booster doses alone saving an estimated 700,000 lives.
“Today, there are 1.4 million people in our region – most of them elderly – who are around to enjoy life with their loved ones because they took the vital decision to be vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Dr. Kluge, speaking from Copenhagen.
“This is the power of vaccines. The evidence is irrefutable,” he added.
COVID-19 rates in Europe remain elevated but are decreasing. WHO recommends that people at highest risk of the disease should continue to be re-vaccinated six to 12 months after their most recent dose.
This category includes older persons, frontline health workers, pregnant women, and people who are immunocompromised or have significant chronic medical conditions.
Meanwhile, WHO is currently seeing widespread circulation of respiratory viruses like influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and measles in the European region.
RSV rates peaked before the new year and are now declining, Dr. Kluge reported, and influenza rates are rapidly rising, with a likely surge expected over the coming weeks.
There has been a nearly 60 percent increase in reported hospitalizations for the flu over the past two weeks and a 21 percent increase in ICU admissions, compared to the previous two weeks.
Flu cases increased four-fold between November and December, with 38 countries reporting the start of the seasonal influenza epidemic. Those most affected by severe disease are people aged 65 and older and the very young.
“We are concerned about reports of localized pressures on hospitals and overcrowding in emergency rooms, due to a confluence of circulating respiratory viruses,” he said.
Dr. Kluge stressed that although COVID-19 infections rates are broadly decreasing across Europe, the situation can rapidly change in the face of the new variant of interest, JN.1, now the most common variant reported globally.
“Though there’s no current evidence to suggest the JN.1 variant is more severe, the unpredictable nature of this virus shows how vital it is that countries continue to monitor for any new variants,” he said.
As many countries have reduced or stopped reporting COVID-19 data to WHO, Dr. Kluge underscored the need for continued surveillance as the disease “is here to stay.”
“We know how to keep ourselves and others safe, whether from COVID-19 or other respiratory infections,” he said, referring to measures such as staying home if sick and wearing masks in settings such as hospitals or crowded places.
Noting that “health is slipping from the political agenda,” Dr. Kluge voiced deep concern over the failure to address the “ticking time-bomb facing our health and care workforce.”
WORLD
CHOLERA CASES SPIKE
The world enters 2024 with soaring cases of cholera globally, with over 667,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths last year, UN agencies have reported.
Eastern and southern African nations are among the worst affected, accounting for about 75 percent of the fatalities and a third of the cases, as of Jan. 15, according to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
With the regions also suffering from lack of adequate clean water and sanitation, and poor case management, children are particularly vulnerable as the outbreaks spread rapidly.
“The cholera outbreak in the region is a significant concern to the health and well-being of children,” Etleva Kadilli, UNICEF Director for eastern and southern Africa, said on Jan. 15.
“Investments in strengthening systems to address the root causes of cholera and other public health emergencies, particularly on enhancing access to clean water, improved sanitation and hygiene, social behavior change and quality of case management, are imperative.”
She also highlighted the compounding impacts of climate change, as well as the multifaceted consequences for children.
“Learning loss is a major concern. It is imperative that the response not only be swift but also considers the long-term well-being of these young children. As the new school year is starting in many countries in the region, it is crucial for measures to be put in place in schools to protect children against infections,” she said.
Meanwhile, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported that preliminary data from Member States indicate that the number of cholera cases reported in 2023, as of Dec. 15, surpassed that of 2022.
“Nearly a year has passed since WHO classified the global resurgence of cholera as a grade 3 emergency, the highest internal level for a health emergency requiring a comprehensive response,” the agency said in a report issued last week.
WHO is currently reviewing its response to cholera globally to identify key lessons and make evidence-based adjustments where needed to better coordinate activities in the coming months.
“Based on the large number of outbreaks and their geographic expansion, alongside the shortage of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at global level as very high,” the agency added.
It also noted that the figures must be “interpreted with caution” given varying surveillance systems and capacity across countries, meaning that 2023 data are not directly comparable to reports from previous years.
The outbreaks were the deadliest in Malawi, in southern Africa, and Haiti, in the Caribbean.
1,771 people lost their lives to the disease in Malawi, while 1,156 succumbed in Haiti, as of 15 December 2023.
Elsewhere in Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is reporting close to 1,000 cases each week, while Zimbabwe and Mozambique are experiencing a rise in cases and spread of outbreaks. Burundi and Zambia also continue to report active outbreaks, according to the report.
WORLD
CIVILIAN DEATHS CLIMB IN UKRAINE
Recent weeks have seen a steep increase in civilian casualties in Ukraine following an intensification of Russian attacks, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country, HRMMU, said in a new report issued on Jan. 16.
Hundreds of people across the country were killed or wounded in drone and missile strikes in the 10-day period between Dec. 29 and Jan. 8 alone.
“Civilian casualties had been steadily decreasing in 2023 but the wave of attacks in late December and early January violently interrupted that trend,” said Danielle Bell, head of the monitoring mission.
HRMMU verified that at least 592 civilians were killed or injured last month, a 26.5 per cent increase over November, representing “an alarming reversal of a downward trend” observed earlier in 2023.
However, the actual increase is likely higher as some casualty reports are yet to be verified.
The high number of civilian casualties in December continued into the first days of January, and HRMMU is verifying reports of 86 killed and 416 injured.
The recent wave of attacks started on Dec. 29 with missiles and drones that pounded cities and towns across Ukraine.
The most extensive attacks and the highest numbers of civilian casualties happened on that day and on Jan. 2 but fatalities have continued.
HRMMU cited examples such as the Jan. 6 missile attack on the small town of Pokrovsk and nearby Rivne village, located near the frontline in the east.
Two families – six adults and five children – were buried in rubble after their homes were struck. Some of the bodies are still missing despite days of rescue and recovery efforts.
In a separate attack two days later in Novomoskovsk, also in the east, the blast wave from a Russian missile strike injured 31 civilians, including eight passengers on a minibus which was destroyed during the morning commute.
Next month marks two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has left 40 percent of the population, 14.6 million people, in need of humanitarian assistance.
More than four million people are internally displaced and 6.3 million have sought refuge elsewhere, mainly in neighboring countries.
On Jan. 15, the UN launched a $4.2 million appeal to support humanitarian operations this year.
