BK Man Motivated By ISIS To Shoot, Stab NYPD Pleads Guilty: Feds

BROOKLYN, NY — A Brooklyn man motivated by "Islamist extremism" to violently attack NYPD officers will face 30 years in prison after guilty plea this week, according to prosecutors.

Dzenan Camovic, a Bosnian national, pleaded guilty Tuesday to both state and federal charges stemming from the 2020 attack, when he stabbed an officer in the neck, took his gun and then opened fire on cops at a Brooklyn street corner in Flatbush, authorities said.

“Inspired by terrorists, the defendant viciously attacked officers, stabbing one officer in the neck and shooting another in the hand," said United States Attorney Breon Peace. "We will bring to justice those who commit such reprehensible acts against the community and against our law enforcement partners.”

Camovic — who yelled an Arabic expression meaning "God is the greatest" during the attack — had been following the Islamic State and other terrorist groups for months before the attack, which unfolded during a city-imposed curfew in the summer of 2020, prosecutors said.

The cops Camovic attacked had been among those stationed throughout the five boroughs during the curfew, put in place following protests over the death of George Floyd, authorities said.

Camovic watched the two cops, stationed near Flatbush Avenue and Church Avenue, for eight minutes before texting a friend "I'll be a while" and circling the block so he could approach them from behind, according to court records.

The 22-year-old then took out a knife and stabbed one of the officers in the neck, "violently lunging" with the blade at the second officer, who began yelling and took out his gun, according to video and authorities.

Camovic eventually ripped a gun from one of the officers and began shooting at the cops, including two other officers who had responded. The officers returned fire, prosecutors said.

When the gun smoke settled, the ground was littered with at least 22 shell casings, Camovic suffered critical gunshot wounds and two officers were shot in their hands, in addition to their comrade with a knife wound to his neck, according to officials.

Camovic was brought to the hospital, where prosecutors said he told a doctor "that he had killed two police officers and 'my religion made me do it.'"

His guilty plea comes with an agreement to deport Camovic after he serves his jail time, according to officials. Camovic is expected to be sentenced to 30 years in prison in August, prosecutors said.