The knife-wielding terror suspect who was shot and killed by law enforcement outside Boston early Tuesday originally targeted the activist behind last month’s “Draw Muhammad” cartoon competition before turning his sights on local police, according to several published reports.
CNN and NBC, citing law enforcement sources, reported late Wednesday that Usaama Rahim had planned to behead Pamela Geller, an activist and blogger who organized last month’s cartoon contest for images of the Muslim prophet Muhammad in Garland, Texas. That event was targeted by two Muslim gunmen who were killed by police.
Geller was not identified in an FBI complaint against David Wright, a relative of Rahim, that was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. However, investigators did say that Rahim had initially told Wright that he planned to behead an unidentified victim outside of Massachusetts.
The FBI alleged Wednesday that Rahim had plotted an attack for at least a week. Investigators said the 26-year-old had bought three fighting knives and a sharpener on or before May 26. This past Sunday, Rahim, Wright and an unidentified man met on a beach in Rhode Island to “discuss their plans,” the FBI affidavit said.
“Wright indicated that he agreed with Rahim’s plan and supported it,” the affidavit states.
In an earlier conversation, Rahim and Wright were heard talking about “thinking with your head on your chest,” an apparent reference to ISIS propaganda videos showing severed heads on the chests of beheading victims, according to an affidavit written by an agent assigned to Boston’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.
