Man Shot by Arizona Deputy was Lone Wolf Terrorist, Officials Say

Maricopa County (AZ) Sheriff Paul Penzone said during a news conference Thursday that a man who attacked a deputy earlier this month and was shot was acting out of terrorist ideology.

Sgt. Brandon Wells, who was identified in a court document, shot Hamed, striking him twice on Jan. 7, after Ismail Hamed attacked the deputy with rocks and a knife outside of a Maricopa County Sheriff's Office station in Fountain Hills, Penzone said.

Hamed, 18, is charged with terrorism in the attack, AZCentral reports.

Before the shooting, Hamed made two 911 calls and made statements that "indicate that he had an affiliation with a terror ideology," Penzone said.

FBI Special-Agent-In-Charge Michael DeLeon described the episode as a "lone-wolf attack" carried out by a "homegrown violent extremist."