Three New York City police officers were shot by a man wielding a machete near Times Square, according to the New York Police Commissioner. CNN reports it, specifying that the agents are in stable conditions. The attack occurred shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday on West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue outside a New Year’s Eve security checkpoint in Times Square, Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. The suspect, identified as a 19-year-old boy, approached an officer and attempted to stab him over the head with a machete, Sewell said.
The young man then shot two other officers before being shot by one of the officers. The 19-year-old, shot in the shoulder, is being treated for his injuries. The FBI, NYPD and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating what happened. “I want to be very clear … there is no threat going on,” said Mike Driscoll, the FBI assistant director in charge of the New York field office. “We believe this was an individual who acted alone,” he said, adding that: “There is nothing to indicate otherwise.”
According to the New York Post, the police, together with the FBI, are investigating whether the attacker is a recently radicalized Islamic extremist. One of the two injured officers was on his first day on the job.