A Massachusetts police officer has been placed on administrative leave for posting an image of a mushroom cloud with a reference to Islam.
Medford Officer Jason Montalbano apologized Wednesday, saying said he thought the image was meant to support action against the Islamic State group. He says he didn't intend to demean Muslims.
He had shared an image on his Facebook page of a mushroom cloud with a caption referencing the atomic bomb dropped on Japan during World War II and saying, "It's time we made peace with Islam."
Lt. Paul Covino says the department takes the situation seriously and will take whatever action is necessary to correct it.
Mayor Stephanie Burke says police officers should be held to a higher standard when using social media.