Possible Islamic Sympathizer Attacks NYC Cops with Hatchet

                                            By UPI


         NEW YORK, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A New York City police officer was critically wounded and another was hospitalized in an attack by a man wielding a hatchet. The attacker was shot dead in the course of Thursday's melee.
Four NYPD officers were posing for a photo in Queens about 2 p.m. when a man, whom police say was lying in wait behind a bus shelter, attacked the group.
The attacker, later identified as Zale H. Thompson, "charged at the officers with a hatchet in his hand," said New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.
"Unprovoked and not speaking a word, the male then swung at one of the officers with a hatchet, striking his right arm. After striking that officer, the suspect continuing swinging the hatchet, striking a second officer in the head." 
 
The two officers who ere unharmed opened fire and killed Thompson, but in the process shot a 29-year-old woman in the lower back. She underwent surgery at Jamaica Hospital, where she was recovering Friday.
The officer who was struck in the head was in critical condition after surgery. The officer who was struck in the arm was expected to be released from the hospital Friday.
After Wednesday's attacks on two uniformed soldiers in Canada, North American law enforcement agencies are on edge, fearing they've been targeted by "lone wolf" Islamic State sympathizers.
On a Facebook page bearing Thompson's name, the profile photo is of an armed soldier from Queens masked in a head scarf. CNN reported that the Arabic writing on this cover photo is a Quran quote "mentioning judgment against those who have wandered astray."
Some of the user's Facebook friends posted articles about Thompson's attack and death. He had a criminal record in California, a law enforcement official said, and the Navy had discharged him for disorderly conduct, CNN reported.
New York City police have been asked to maintain a state of heightened awareness.
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