Philadelphia ‘ISIS’ Gunman Not a Practicing Muslim

Gunman Claimed He Shot Policeman for ISIS

Edward Archer, who Philadelphia police report shot a police officer three times and then told arresting officers he was doing it “in the name of Islam” and pledged allegiance to ISIS, does not appear to have been a practicing Muslim.

The Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations made the rounds in the city, asking imams and other mosque-goers, and none of them apparently had ever heard of Archer, nor seen him going to religious services.

Police were eager to hype the ISIS connection, saying Archer was “savvy enough to stop just short of implicating himself in a conspiracy,” and cited neighbors who claimed he went to mosque every day, despite the mosques apparently not ever seeing him.

Sen. Bob Casey (D – PA) vowed to see Archer “fully prosecuted” to prove that the US will go after any member of ISIS or any other terrorist organization. At this point, however, there is a notable lack of proof of this ISIS connection.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.