James Comey says no evidence Edward Archer tied to Islamist groups

Though the FBI is investigating last week’s shooting of a Philadelphia police officer as an act of terrorism, Director James Comey said Thursday that officials have found no evidence that the gunman carried out the attack as part of a larger plot.

“So far, we see no indication that he was part of an organized cell,” said Mr. Comey during a visit to Philadelphia on Thursday.

Edward Archer, the man arrested in the attack on Officer Jessie Hartnett, told investigators that he carried out the shooting “in the name of Islam.” Following his arrest, police said they received a tip that Archer had an affiliation with a radical group.

Mr. Comey also added that investigators have uncovered no specific or subsequent threat of any “follow-on attack.”

Media reports indicate that Archer had traveled to Saudi Arabia in late 2011 and to Egypt in 2012, but Mr. Comey declined to discuss how much authorities had learned about Archer’s international travel.

“We are working to make sure we understand all travel and what that travel involved,” he said.

Mr. Comey and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross visited Officer Hartnett in the hospital Thursday.

“Everyday he is getting a little better, but he’s got a lot of recovery to go through,” Commissioner Ross said during a separate press conference Thursday.

Officer Hartnett was shot three times in the arm in during a dramatic ambush that was caught a on surveillance camera. In the video, a man is seen firing up to 13 times at a police cruiser as he runs up to the vehicle — at one point firing into the cruiser while his arm is all the way inside the driver’s side window.

Officer Hartnett was able to chase after the man, firing off several rounds that struck the attacker.

Noting both the attack on Officer Harnett and the December arrest of a Harrisburg man now charged with providing material support to the Islamic State, Sen. Bob Casey on Thursday said more resources are needed to help local and federal law enforcement share information about violent extremism.

The Pennsylvania Democrat announced his support of legislation that would provide training and programming for local organizations that are seeking to counter violent extremism.

“Law enforcement officers like Officer Hartnett and his colleagues here at the Philadelphia police department are increasingly on the front lines of our homeland security,” Mr. Casey said. “The federal government must offer these professionals all the resources, training, and support they need to keep our communities safe.”