NYPD is waking up to a
1,400-year Islamic fact (but
blame social media):
Muslims can act as lone
terrorists
Hatchet-wielding man who attacked cop is proof terrorism has evolved, Bratton says
The NYPD commissioner made the comments Thursday during a meeting with police from 90 law enforcement agencies from around the world, noting that social media can push individuals to act by alone, as Zale Thompson did when he attacked a cop in Queens last month.
BY Tina Moore, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Thursday, November 6, 2014, 3:00 PM
Thursday, November 6, 2014, 3:00 PM
Police chief Bill Bratton says terrorism has evolved, with individuals making attacks alone and being radicalized by social media.
Terrorism has morphed since 9/11 and now includes the threat of the radicalized loner like the hatchet-wielding madman who attacked two cops last month, the city’s top cop said Thursday.
“So in this city, two weeks ago, we saw a clear example of that new emerging threat,” NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton said. “The threats are growing. They are real. And we’re going to have to redouble our efforts.”
Bratton made the remarks during a daylong conference at One Police Plaza attended by representatives from 90 law enforcement agencies, including those from Los Angeles and London.
On Oct. 23, rookie Officer Kenneth Healey, 25, was attacked in a busy shopping district in Jamaica, Queens, by an ax-wielding maniac who was then shot to death by cops.
Healey will be leaving a rehabilitation center and returning home Friday to recover, Bratton said.
Zale Thompson seen wielding the hatchet he used to attack a police officer in Queens in October.
“But a really close call,” Bratton said. “An example of the terrorism acts that we now have to be prepared for.”
The ax-wielder, Zale Thompson, became radicalized through social media over the six weeks to two months before the attack, police said.
“He was increasingly being focused on and being motivated by the increasingly sophisticated social media outreach of the emerging terrorist threats that we’re here to discuss this morning,” Bratton said.
Speakers of the Sentry Partners conference were expected to talk about recent threats and attacks around the world that are “precursors of a changing terrorist environment,” Bratton said.
John Miller of the NYPD said London and New York face similar problems when it comes to terrorism threats.
“There are many insane people out there with insane ideologies that we’re going to have to combat, we’re going to have to address,” he said. “And I remain confident and optimistic that we can do it.
Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, commissioner of London’s Metropolitan Police Service, talked about “self-starters” in his country and attempts to “deradicalize” them.
NYPD counter-terror chief John Miller noted that London, which has about the same population and number of cops as New York, mirrors the city in other ways as well.
“They usually get the first wave of whatever we’re going to see in terms of radicalization, terrorism and so on,” Miller said.
“Whatever they’re seeing over there, usually between six months and a year later, we’re seeing it here,” he said.
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