Chilling video: Man shot dead after striking New York cops with axe

Footage of the attack released by NY Police Department. Photo / YouTube / Screengrab

New York police fear that a crazed hatchet attack on four police officers in Jamaica, Queens, today could be linked to terrorism.

The unidentified suspect, shown in surveillance footage as a dark skinned male around 32-years-old, was shot dead on the scene after slashing one cop in the arm and the other in the head at around without warning about 2pm.

The officer struck in the head was critically injured.

A 29-year-old female bystander a half-a-block away from the attack was critically injured after being shot by an errant police round. She is currently recovering from surgery at Jamaica Hospital and is listed in "grave" condition.

Police say they were investigating whether the attack on the cops was linked to Islamic terrorism. ISIS has urged fighters to launch lone wolf attacks in the United States.

Two attacks in Canada this week by radicalized converts to Islam have killed two Canadian soldiers. In one, a man ran down two soldiers in his car in Quebec, killing one before he was shot dead. On Wednesday a convicted felon ambushed a soldier outside Canadian Parliament, fatally wounding him, before running the Parliament building and opening fire.

DNA Info reported that a freelance photographer approached the group of rookie cops and asked to take their photograph.

As the officers were posing for the camera, a man swinging an 18.5 inch hatchet charged towards them without uttering a single word.

One 24-year-old officer was slashed in the arm

Another 25-year-old officer was slashed in the back of head and taken to Jamaica Hospital where he is being treated in critical condition, reports CBS.

The two remaining police shot the attacker who dropped his hatchet then died at the scene.

His identity has not been released but police are working to identify him as a possible terror suspect.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said he's not ruling out terrorism especially in the wake of recent terror attacks in Canada, reports CNN.

"There is nothing we know as of this time that would indicate that were the case. I think certainly the heightened concern is relative to that type of assault based on what just happened in Canada," said Bratton.

A 29-year-old bystander was also critically injured after being shot by an errant police round and was a half a block down the street from where the incident occurred, reports The New York Daily News.

DNA Info spoke with witnesses on the scene.

"We heard pop, pop, pop, pop," said Rafael, 44, who works at Overseas Travel nearby where the incident occurred.

"She was screaming, 'Help me.' She couldn't get up," said Ericka Babb, a medical assistant at Priority Medical Centre in Queens.

"We were way too scared," said Rafael.

Officers say they shot the hatchet-yielding suspect but it's not clear how many rounds were fired.

"It was a completely unprovoked attack," said NYPD Chief Kim Royster, a department spokeswoman.

Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said during a news conference that all of the police involved are recent graduates of this summer's Police Academy class.

"Three rookie cops, absolutely modest about what happened today and what they did," de Blasio said.

During the conference Bill De Blasio lauded the officers' training and their fast response to the unprovoked attack.