NY probing possible terror links in hatchet attack on police

NEW YORK — Officials in New York are investigating possible terror links of a discharged Navy veteran with a criminal past who attacked and seriously wounded two police officers with a hatchet before being shot dead by two other officers.

The suspect, identified as Zale Thompson, lunged at the officers with a hatchet in the New York City borough of Queens. The authorities are investigating whether he was motivated by Islamic terrorists calling for attacks in the United States.

One officer was slashed in the head and another in the arm before another officer was able to fatally shoot the attacker. A 29-year-old female bystander was critically injured after being hit by an errant police round and is listed in grave condition. Both injured officers are being treated and one was listed in critical condition.

Thompson has a criminal record in California and was discharged from the US Navy for misconduct, but the authorities have not revealed his record nor have they detailed his Naval discharge.

The police said they were investigating whether Thompson’s attack was linked to Islamic terrorism. The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has urged fighters to launch so-called “lone wolf” attacks in the US and Thompson’s Facebook page is said to feature a photograph of a man dressed in Middle Eastern garb and a cover photo displaying Arabic writing.

Two attacks in Canada this week by radicalised converts to Islam have killed two Canadian soldiers. In one, a man ran down two soldiers in his car in Quebec, killing one, before being shot dead.

On Wednesday, a convicted felon ambushed a soldier outside Canada’s Parliament in Ottawa, fatally wounding him, before running to the Parliament building and opening fire. The gunman was shot and killed by the Parliament’s sergeant-at-arms.

Local news outlet DNA Info in New York reported that, on Thursday afternoon, a freelance photographer had approached a group of rookie police officers and asked to take their photograph. As the officers were posing for the camera, Thompson charged towards them swinging a hatchet without uttering a single word.

One 24-year-old officer was chopped in the arm and another 25-year-old officer was slashed in the back of his head and taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he is in critical condition, reported CBS News.

The two remaining officers shot at Thompson, who dropped his hatchet and died at the scene.

New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said he is not ruling out terrorism, especially in the wake of recent terror attacks in Canada. “There is nothing we know as of this time that would indicate that were the case. I think certainly the heightened concern is related to that type of assault based on what just happened in Canada.”

Thompson’s Facebook page says that Thompson graduated from Columbia Teacher’s College and that he resides in Queens.

“It was a completely unprovoked attack,” said Ms Kim Royster, a police department spokesperson.

Commissioner Bratton said during a news conference that all of the officers involved are recent graduates of this summer’s Police Academy class.

“Three rookie cops, absolutely modest about what happened today and what they did,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said. During the conference, Mr de Blasio lauded the officers’ training and their fast response to the unprovoked attack. AGENCIES