Investigators have reportedly found a handwritten diary on the suspect expressing his desire to join the Taliban in Afghanistan and die as a martyr, according to multiple law enforcement sources. The NYPD also sent a bulletin to law enforcement partners across the country and titled “ISIS-Aligned Media Unit Releases Video Ahead of New Year’s Eve, Demanding Lone Offender Attacks,” according to the sources. The video, being circulated in online chat rooms “shows, selected video clips, suggesting various means of attack, including explosives, handguns, knives, and toxins,” according to the bulletin, obtained by CNN.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is currently investigating the machete attack on police officers near Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The suspect, a 19-year-old male, is in custody and has no prior arrest record. Investigators are seeking search warrants for the suspect’s phone and online activities to determine if he had been viewing violent extremist propaganda.
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