Philadelphia police officer Jesse Harnett was shot by a man who told police, after his arrest, that he did it in the name of the Islamic State. The attack occurred on January 7.

Harnett was hit three times in the left arm as the assailant fired 11 rounds into the officer’s stationary patrol car. Despite his injuries, the officer emerged from the patrol car and shot and wounded the assailant who was arrested shortly after.

Commander of the homicide unit Capt. James Clark told reporters the shooter told investigators, “I follow Allah. I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State and that’s why I did what I did.”

“He believed that the police defend laws that are contrary to the teachings of the Koran,” the police commissioner said.

The shooting marks the fourth attack inspired by the Islamic State that has been carried out in the United States. As of November, nearly 70 people had been arrested in the United States for Islamic State-related terrorist plots.

The gunman, identified as Edward Archer, has a history of arrest. He was charged with assault and carrying a gun without a license in 2012, and careless driving, forgery and driving with a suspended or revoked license in 2014.

An anonymous tipster told police that “the threat to police is not over.” They claimed the shooter is “part of a group that consists of three others,” adding that the alleged shooter “is not the most radical of the four.”

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney tried to dismiss any religious connection with the shooting:

In no way, shape or form does anyone in this room believe that Islam, or the teaching of Islam, has anything to do with what you have seen on that screen. That is abhorrent. It’s just terrible, and it does not represent the religion in any way, shape or form or any of its teachings. This is a criminal with a stolen gun who tried to kill one of our officers. It has nothing to do with being a Muslim or following the Islamic faith.

Trumpet Daily Radio Show host Stephen Flurry discussed this contradiction, saying:

This was a terrorist who had pledged his allegiance to Islamic State. He stated clearly he was acting in the name of Allah. He shot the police officer for not upholding Sharia law. And yet right after it happened, the mayor of Philadelphia … immediately rises in defense of Islam, even when the attacker himself admits that he was motivated by religion.

(Listen from 8:15)

Some news sources also emphasized ideas that the motives were not fully established. Reuters reported that “a top U.S. Muslim advocacy group said it had found no evidence that Archer was an observant Muslim,” and that the local imam “was not aware if he had ever prayed” at his local mosque. It was later discovered Archer did attend the mosque but was known by his Muslim name.

The Wall Street Journal reported that fbi Special Agent Eric Ruona said in an interview, “At this stage, it’s still too early for us to make any determination on whether or not [Archer] was involved with any terrorist groups, or what motive he might have had.”

Archer had traveled to Saudi Arabia in 2011 for a pilgrimage to Mecca and then to Egypt in 2012. Officials have not confirmed if he made contact with terrorist groups during the travels. As politicians debate Muslim immigration into the United States, it is becoming clear Islamic State inspired terrorism is on the rise. Will American politicians accept that reality? Read the answer in our article “Fables About Islam and Destroying America From Within.”