Image copyright LinkedIn Image caption Sheriff Murphree says he stands by his controversial comments

A Texas sheriff who railed against "political correctness" in a Facebook post following the Manchester, England, bombing has defended his comments.

Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree's controversial post urged Americans to "pay attention" to the Islamic jihadists who "want to kill you".

His comments came after a suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured 64 at an Ariana Grande concert in the UK.

His remarks quickly drew both praise and outrage online.

"I stand behind it," Mr Murphree told a local NBC news affiliate on Tuesday. "We need to be realistic about the world we live in."

Mr Murphree wrote on Monday after the attack: "This is what happens when you disarm your citizens. When you open your borders without the proper vetting.

"When you allow political correctness to dictate how you respond to an enemy that wants to kill you.

"The left tells us we must submit and accept these radical beliefs and bend over backwards to make sure we don't hurt anybody's feelings."

"The left wants to cater to the very group that would kill every group they claim to support. Folks this is an enemy hell bent on killing you," he continued.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The sheriff's comments came after a suicide bomb attack left 22 people dead in England

He later wrote: "You better wake up America. While you are distracted by the media and the crying of the left, Islamic Jihadist are among us and want to kill you."

His comments came after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, and wounded 64 others outside an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

The viral post quickly attracted hundreds of responses, with some thanking him for "speaking truth" and others accusing him of fear-mongering.

Some users also criticised Mr Murphree for using a terrorist attack to promote gun rights.

The local Council for Islamic Relations (CAIR) chapter called the post an "Islamaphobic rant".

But Mr Murphree pushed back.

"A lot of folks want to make it a race issue," he told NBC5. "And to me, it's not a race issue. It's a public safety issue."

The sheriff's controversial post was not his first.

Last April, while running for office, Mr Murphree was criticised for posting about North Carolina's transgender "bathroom bill".

The law banned transgender people from using toilets in accordance with their chosen gender.

Mr Murphree suggested he would assault any man who entered the same toilet as his daughter, sparking backlash among the transgender community.

He later told the local ABC affiliate WFAA the post "was a mistake".