Police Officer Ambushed In Philadelphia

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http://6abc.com/news/abc-news-archer-had-traveled-to-middle-east-twice-in-recent-years/1152007/

By Wendy Saltzman
Friday, January 08, 2016 08:09PM

YEADON, Pa. (WPVI) -- Action News has learned that 30-year-old Edward Archer traveled twice in recent years to the Middle East, but was not on any terror watch lists.

Law enforcement sources say Archer's first trip was to Saudi Arabia in 2011 for Hajj. He then traveled to Egypt in 2012. Both trips departed from New York-area airports.

The FBI says it is investigating to see whether those travels were merely for the Muslim pilgrimage or if they played a role in Friday's shooting.

Police say Archer has confessed to opening fire on Ofc. Jesse Hartnett, saying he did it "in the name of Islam."

Archer lives with his mother on South Maple Avenue in Yeadon, Delaware County, and that home was the subject of much scrutiny Friday by police investigators.

Detectives served a search warrant on the home, looking for any evidence that radical Islam may have been behind his brutal attack on that officer.

The home is now an active crime scene that police hope will provide more clues about Archer's past, and his motive.

In a statement to detectives Archer says he was called to kill police by Allah.

At a press conference Friday, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross explained, "According to him, he believed that the police defend laws that are contrary to the teachings of the Quran."

But the question is, was it radicalization or just the acts of a violent criminal who used a stolen police weapon to fire at Ofc. Hartnett 13 times?

Commissioner Ross says, "I think he was savvy enough to stop just short of implicating himself in a conspiracy with anything... even if one exists we don't know right now."

His criminal history shows that in 2013 Archer was arrested by Philadelphia police for terroristic threats and gun charges. He pleaded guilty to carrying a firearm without a license and assault, which carried a 9 to 23 month sentence.

Archer was immediately paroled for time served. In his sentencing reports he states he had never seen a doctor or been hospitalized for mental illness, and that he was not under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

He was also arrested by police in Media, Delaware County at the end of 2012 and was found guilty on six counts, including forgery, altering a document, careless driving and driving on a suspended or revoked license.

Archer was set to be sentenced for that crime this coming Monday.

But those criminal records provide no trail linking Archer to any terrorist teachings or that he was radicalized.

Neighbor Natalie King says the family was quiet, and there was no evidence anyone in the family was an extremist or radicalized.

King tells us, "They were just regular, normal people who minded their own business."

On Friday afternoon, the small street with just 12 houses was roped off as officers executed a search warrant inside.

Yeadon's mayor, Rohan Hepkins, tells us, "You never suspect that this type of activity, or individuals like this is living so close."

Law enforcement are now hoping that their search of the home and a second residence in Philadelphia will uncover Archer's true motive, and determine if he had been communicating with ISIS or looking at online propaganda.

 

[phgreek]

http://6abc.com/news/abc-news-archer-had-traveled-to-middle-east-twice-in-recent-years/1152007/

By Wendy Saltzman
Friday, January 08, 2016 08:09PM

Pretty sure this makes it impossible to frame this as anything other than what it was...

There are open ISIS investigations in every state. As this war on the West continues to hit closer and closer to everyone's homes, the echoes of percentages cited, and accusations of fear mongering will continue to fade...and then the pendulum will swing too far the other way, and people will be hurt who shouldn't be...but it is the price we pay for the leadership we've chosen. If you just stand up, and deal with things as they are, and not how you wished they were, life makes a lot of sense, and stays fairly tame...pretend, obfuscate, hide, avoid...shit bites you in the ass...shrug.

 

[BGIF]

Interesting comments/history (abridged)

Interesting comments/history (abridged)

http://6abc.com/news/abc-news-archer-had-traveled-to-middle-east-twice-in-recent-years/1152007/

By Wendy Saltzman
Friday, January 08, 2016 08:09PM

Archer's first trip was to Saudi Arabia in 2011 for Hajj. He then traveled to Egypt in 2012. Both trips departed from New York-area airports.

Police say Archer has confessed to opening fire on Ofc. Jesse Hartnett, saying he did it "in the name of Islam."

In a statement to detectives Archer says he was called to kill police by Allah.

At a press conference Friday, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross explained, "According to him, he believed that the police defend laws that are contrary to the teachings of the Quran."

His criminal history shows that in 2013 Archer was arrested by Philadelphia police for terroristic threats and gun charges.

It was reported this morning that Archer was working on behalf of Isis. Some government offficials, such as the mayor, were quick to comment that religion had no part in the shooting.

Archer's comments may even make his motive worse. Rather than being an terrorist agent for Isis, did Archer make his decision simply based upon his religious convictions, "called to kill police by Allah" and "the police defend laws that are contrary to the teachings of the Quran". PErsonally I'd feel more comfortable if he attempted assassination on behalf of a political group, Isis, rather than for his religion.

His mother dropped hints of mental illness although at his last sentencing he stated he had no mental illness. His also told reporters he is a devout Muslim.

Watching the photos from the surveillance video, Archer is wearing a mask, looks like a painter's mask. He starts shooting about 6 feet from cruiser. Approaches the cruiser and shots thru window. Turns and runs. Stops about a 12'-15' feet away and fires again.

 

[BGIF]

NYPD has issued an alert to all officers about the Philadelphia officer shot.

I expect it will be issued to all departments in the nation today. I don't expect it to come from the President/Attorney General.

What would you recommend that the President does? I'm not being argumentative. I'm curious what you think.

Issue a statement supporting the police across the nation and wishing Officer Harnett and his family well, calling for calm, and letting the investigation take place, and offering the full suport of federal agencies, DoJ, FBI, Homeland Insecurity, ATF, etc.

At the least he could quote Sgt Phil Esterhaus, "Let's be careful out there."

The day of the assassination of NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos the President issued such a statement. Apparently getting shot 3 times and pursuing the assassin and taking him down doesn't warrant a such a statement. Apparently you have to get killed first.

After a Boston professor was arrested entering his own house by a cop of a different race the President interjected himself and held a beer tete a tete in the Rose Garden.

When Trayvon was shot and killed, the President quickly went on the air waves to point out that, "If I had a son he would look like Trayvon". If he had a son he would also look like Edward Archer, a black man who tried to "wings on pigs" like Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley did in NYC because he was "Fergusonized" by the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.

In my previous post I noted that I think it would be better if Archer was an Isis agent, a political entity, rather than a man attempting assassination because of fundamental theological differences. But if he was "Fergusonized", targeting a white cop, well then, that's just the balance of a couple of hundred years of injustice, right? Did I miss the President asking the Attorney General to send a few hundred FBI agents and Justice Department lawyers to Philidelphia to make sure the right conclusions are reached? Oh, that's right, they were there two years ago.

The DoD declared Major Hasan as workplace violence. It wasn't political, religious, nor racial.

Perhaps Archer can use the workplace defense or a variation on the "affluenza" defense, the "enviromental" defense, or is that the Fergusonized defense?

 

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Alleged Pa. cop shooter arraigned, denied bail | Fox News

The man police say fired 13 shots at a Philadelphia police officer and claimed he did it “in the name of Islam” was charged Saturday with attempted murder and other related crimes.

Edward Archer, 30, was denied bail pending a Jan. 25 preliminary hearing. His attorney with the Defender Association of Philadelphia could not be reached for comment, the Associated Press reported.

Archer was also arraigned on charges of aggravated assault, assault of a law enforcement officer, recklessly endangering another person, possession of an instrument of crime with intent and weapons possession, Fox 29 reported.

 

[Luckylucci]

Religion of peace strikes again.

Being a person that has dated a women (who I love very much) for quite awhile that is from Bangladesh, I'd appreciate no blanket statements about the religion.

 

[Voltaire]

Being a person that has dated a women (who I love very much) for quite awhile that is from Bangladesh, I'd appreciate no blanket statements about the religion.

I don't like blanket statements either. I don't think they help make any progress with complicated conversations and topics.

However, just to be clear, the phrase itself, "Islam is a religion of peace," when said earnestly with zero sarcasm, is in itself a nonsensical blanket statement that ignores a millenium-plus of non-stop sectarian violence and today, institutionalized indifference toward basic human rights in many Muslim-majority countries.

On the other hand, sarcastically saying "Islam is a religion of peace" is more a rejection of people who earnestly say that phrase as a blanket statement of truth (for the basic reasons noted above and many others) versus the sarcasm necessarily being a general condemnation of the religion and the people who practice it.

 

[MNIrishman]

Being a person that has dated a women (who I love very much) for quite awhile that is from Bangladesh, I'd appreciate no blanket statements about the religion.

Disagreeing with theology is one thing. That's just a point of view. Disagreeing with a backwards system of ethics and social laws that fundamentally seeks universal political actualization is another. The Quranic religion isn't just about the afterlife and a relationship to the divine, but a guide to a very dangerous and closed-minded theocratic system which it desires to impose on followers and non-followers alike. This includes political distinctions between followers and non-followers, and should be opposed by right-minded men.

I would like to pointedly state that I am against all theocracies, not just Islamic ones. However, since Islamic theocracy is an explicit religious directive, includes such brutal punishments for deviation (death for apostasy, proselytization, homosexuality, etc), and is generally unquestioned by those in Islamic countries, I would consider it the most dangerous in the modern world.