NYPD Says Hatchet-Wielding Man An 'Angry Guy' With No Islamic State Ties
Despite claims that the suspect who attacked police with a hatchet in New York City may have had ties to Islamic extremism, police are now describing the man as just "an angry guy."
32-year-old Zale Thompson was shot dead by authorities in the New York City borough of Queens last Thursday after he walked down the street carrying a hatchet and began attacking two police officers, Kenneth Healey and Joseph Meaker.
Surveillance video shows Thompson walking aggressively down the street wearing a green jacket and wielding the 18 ½ inch hatchet. The incident occurred at around 2 p.m. in Queens near Jamaica Avenue and 162nd Street.
Initial reports suggested the suspect had ties to Islamic extremist, with the SITE monitoring group saying Thompson's past social media posts "display a hyper-racial focus in both religious and historical contexts, and ultimately hint at his extremist leanings."
Additionally, when NY Police Commissioner William Bratton was asked if the attack was terrorism-related, he replied that "this early on, we really cannot say 'yes' or 'no' to that question."
Authorities are now saying that the attack was not related to religious extremism, instead describing Thompson as an "angry guy" upset with the U.S. and its foreign policy.
"The initial impression is that he's just an angry guy who's ranting about the American government and American oppression of foreign people," a police source told ABC News.
The hatchet attack came one day after a soldier was shot on Canada's Parliament Hill in Ottawa in what appears to be a terrorism-fueled attack.
