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Roslindale man was under 24-hour surveillance; police say he came after cop, FBI agent with a knife
By adamg on Tue, 06/02/2015 - 4:12pm
Evans with a photo of the knife; Vincent Lisi of the FBI and Mayor Walsh listen.
UPDATE: WHDH reports a man with a connection to Rahim was arrested in Everett.
A 26-year-old Roslindale man under a terror watch left law-enforcement officers no choice this morning but to shoot him, Police Commissioner William Evans said.
Evans said surveillance video from the small shopping plaza on Washington Street at Enneking Parkway showed a Boston police officer and an FBI agent retreating when Usaama Rahim began going after them with a "large military knife" shortly after 7 a.m., even though they did not have their guns drawn when they first approached him.
The video, Evans said at a press conference, showed Rahim continuing to advance towards them even as they told him to drop the knife. Finally, he said, he got close enough that they felt their lives were in danger and they fired.
Rahim, hit twice, in the upper body and stomach, collapsed. He was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The two law-enforcement officers had approached Rahim after he left his Blue Ledge Drive apartment around 7 a.m. to talk to him about their ongoing surveillance of him by a terrorism task force, Evans and Vincent Lisi, agent in charge of the FBI's Boston office, said.
Lisi said they did not intend to arrest him, but that something alarmed them enough to want to talk to him this morning - and they knew he was "armed and dangerous" - Lisi said. However, Lisi declined to be more specific.
Evans and Lisi said Rahim had been under 24-hour surveillance by a task force of officers from Boston Police, the FBI and State Police for some time. They also declined to say anything about that investigation, except to say that it continues.
"We don't think there's any concern for the public safety right now," Lisi did say.
Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said his office will conduct an investigation into Rahim's death. He added that officials are "expediting" any post-mortem investigation so that his body can be turned over to his family for the speedy burial called for under Moslim law.
Rahim's older brother, Ibrihim, retired in 2011 as an imam at the Masjid Al-Quran mosque in Dorchester. In a Facebook posting, he disputed the official account of his brother's death.
Mayor Walsh attended the press conference but did not speak.
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Comments
The plane
... as pointed out in the last thread, that circling plane was almost certainly a FBI surveillance plane. I'd love to know why that has to be done with a manned plane though. Seems like inefficient somehow but I suppose it's a work around on wire tapping restrictions by some method.
Poor Adam, I suspect the anon comments on this article will be a treat.
has to be manned
Current regulations are very strict about operating drones over cities. Plus they'd be obvious and would likely have to take off and land from certain places. Running the covert gear in standard planes lets them hide in plain sight, use civilian airports and shell companies etc.
They only become obvious spy planes when people notice a low flying plane doing lefthand circles over the same area for hours on end. And when people on the ground notice funny things like their phones being forced from 4G down to 2G by the stingray (so the crypto is weaker for real time interception).
And it may not be an actual FBI plane - beyond the shell companies the feds also loan each other their airframes so they can gain plausible deniability. This is what allowed them to "lie" about running the planes over Baltimore during the protests. The FBI spokesperson is saying truthfully that "we had no assets in the air over Baltimore" because the plane over Baltimore was being piloted by a DEA crew etc.
Anyway the plane doing the rozzie surveillance probably had both cameras and stingray gear. The cameras let them watch from afar day/night and the stingray-type stuff can follow the dude anywhere simply by sucking up all the cell phone device-to-tower traffic over a wide area and zeroing in on his ISMI. It was telling to hear that the dude who got shot was using or even directly on his phone during the confrontation-- 100% guaranteed that the Feds knew exactly where that phone handset was in Boston down to a 2-3 foot radius for the last few weeks at least. We are all basically carrying ideal surveillance beacons in our pockets these days.
24-hour surveillance
Is 24-hour surveillance a term d'art in legal or law enforcement circles? Does it mean they followed him around 24 hours a day?
I wonder when they started. I wonder if he noticed. I wonder what they knew about his on-line activities-- did he read the wrong websites or make a credible threat?
Um...
Pretty sure 24 hr surveillance means.....they keep an eye on him 24hrs a day. 22 hr surveillance wouldn't be much good, as he could do something bad during those 2 hrs when the surveillance team was on lunch break.
I'm not even trying to be
I'm not even trying to be funny...is this why my phone hasn't been working well the last few weeks? I'm not so good with the techie stuff.
Probably not
Have you tried bringing your phone in to have it looked at? We live near the guy's apartment ( the news copters seemed to be competing to see which one could hover right over our house) and yet we've had no problems with our phone service.
I feel for you. I live down
I feel for you. I live down the street and just hearing all those copters last night was making me crazy.
I haven't brought it to the store yet. I've almost had it 2 years so it's probably just dying a slow death but it seems to have been worse the last month. Or maybe I am just trying to make a crazy connection :)
I can't breathe
Sure, maybe he was being bullied for selling loosies. Cuz the FBI does that, y'know. Nothing better to do, after all. Follow a guy around for 24 hours for nothing.
Holy man my ass.
You don't think that getting
You don't think that getting shot in the abdomen and torso would interfere with your breathing? No reason to doubt those were his last words.
I think
Getting shot in the abdomen and torso would interfere with your breathing.
It would also interfere with your holding a cell phone, and your speaking on it.
We have ample reason to doubt that "I can't breathe" were his last words, and that they were spoken into a cell phone.
Save your breath for when you
Save your breath for when you're a medic/nurse/doc with trauma experience. Otherwise, please just admit you know nothing about human physiology and leave it at that.
If I say
It's also hard to attack three LEOs with a big knife when you're chatting on the phone, will you ask me to hold my breath until I finish special forces training?
IT support work makes you a medical expert how again?
One sees things. In the ED. I
One sees things. In the ED. As a healthcare IT worker. I never proclaimed myself an expert. And before I made the jump to admin and IT, I was trained as an EMT-B. People have seen a lot of funny things out in the world of trauma.
I have also yet to see the video of said attack. Neither have you.Thanks for reading my 'About Me' page!
Why cant
(back seat driving)to highly trained professionals find a non lethal resolution!? This kid could've been a bastion of knowledge.
Because
Because this isn't TV where the bad guy coming at you with a knife is disarmed with a wrist-lock and half nelson hold. Nor were any of the law enforcement involved Robocop'esque cyborgs.
Sorry, I don't have citations proving the latter.
BTW, some IT specialists know
BTW, some IT specialists know a lot about field they work in, if they are any good at it. Ask any one who is an applications expert in any sector, finance, healthcare, education, government agencies, etc.
The anatomy and physiology books on my desk that I use to teach clinicians and billing staff on diagnosis coding in an electronic system is a good example. There are certifications that go along with that too, but I'm not too interested in further bandying about my credentials on UHub. With a sock puppet.
At least I know enough to know I don't know it all, and that you can't either. You don't appear to accept that, yet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect
I don't know everything
But in this case I was right.
So you can go cry about how smart you are somewhere else.
Sock puppet, the video still
Sock puppet, the video still hasn't been released to the public. So you are depending on some community leaders and clergy, rather than waiting to see what independent police experts and legal experts would say.
It's been said before, even a wrong clock is right twice a day. I also feel like you need to chill out a bit. BTW, I like and appreciate your views on history of the Civil War.
I am, Dot
This thread started because I remarked on how Ibrahim's statement seemed completely fake, in the cliched way he was trying to portray this event as part of the recent spate of unjustifiable police killings of young black men. Ibrahim's statement seemed contrived to me then - it had everything in it but a bag of Skittles - and it turns out now that it was indeed contrived.
Yes, I am believing the statements of community leaders and clergy who have seen the video, and have all agreed that it is inconsistent with his fabrication. He didn't have a cell phone in his hand when he advanced on the police, he had a huge knife. He was not shot in the back, he was shot in the front.
These people have no reason to lie about it. There's no need to wait for "independent police experts" (as if such a thing exists). There's nothing Slippy Dershowitz can say that changes anything either.
I don't doubt that it's possible some folks might have an iron grip on their cell phones despite being shot, but that was not the case here. The would-be murderer's brother made up a whole sack of crap and tried to pass it off on us, and I noticed it smelled right off.
I think it's nice to be non-judgmental sometimes, but this is not one of those times. Also, your bullshit detector is on the fritz.
Ok, fair enough. More about
Ok, fair enough. More about independent police experts here:
http://www.northeastern.edu/cssh/sccj/people/our-faculty/
http://www.merrimack.edu/live/profiles/40-tom-nolan-edd (27-year police veteran, but not quite independent of BPD)
Myself, I had classes w/ numerous adjunct faculty who were former police officers, corrections officers, and were supervisors/administrators. It was always interesting to hear from those who lived it, including former/current criminals. The best was the former head of the Mass Dept of Corrections Academy, a retired LT. They were always the best at explaining things to students who had more punitive points of view, and how that was often counterproductive.
Brother's statement not fully contrived FYI
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/04/us/boston-police-sho...
So the brother didn't create his FB posting out of whole cloth. The brother has recanted his posting as incorrect about being shot in the back, but the other elements of his story are there.
The imam did what many preachers and politicians do. They put some truthful pieces together to create a narrative for their own purpose.
Makes it even worse somehow
Ibrahim the lyin' imam said first the would-be terrorist was on the phone with his father when he got shot in the back, and his last words were "I can't breathe." That was almost entirely made up.
Next he says oh, it's not like his father told him that, no not really, it's that he read it on some social media somewhere. Lying about the lie.
And when the actual truth comes out - that the would-be terrorist did call his dad earlier, but to say his goodbyes, it makes the lyin' imam's line of bull look not better but worse.
I wonder what the transcript of that call looks like. Something like this?
"Bye, dad, you won't see me again, because now I'm going to go murder a random police officer with this big knife I'm carrying. Wish me luck to murder as many people as I can before they shoot me dead."
To say his goodbyes. Got yer mens rea right there.
If Ibrahim the lyin' imam and his family wanted to degrade the public image of Islam, they couldn't do a better job than they are right now.
Not yet, Sock_Puppet!
Honestly, both you and Fish today. You irascible rapscallions, you--publicly competing already. Everyone knows we can't start the Shitbag Police Apologist Olympics without a proper torch-lighting ceremony.
So when
The video comes out showing it went down just like the police said, will you be apologizing for that, Eric? Or are you trying too hard to win?
And First Place
In the Shitbag Olympics goes to…
Eric G
Tell me, Eric, how did you manage to be more of a Shitbag than O-FISH-L today? Nobody thought you had it in you.
No reason you say? You didn't
No reason you say? You didn't read the Facebook positing. I know that because his "brother"
also said he was shot in the back. Now explain how that's possible when the man ran directly towards be agent and officer? His brother is a liar. I highly doubt he was on the phone as well... Phone in one hand and knife in the other?! Superman!
It's a stupid lie too
It's either one or the other, front or back.
Easily falsifiable, and then the whole pack of lies falls apart.
Which way did he run?
I haven't seen the video yet, have you?
Hi Mr. Conspiracy theorist.
Hi Mr. Conspiracy theorist. Sorry I'm not sorry about Jahar...
Just bend over
And let the GOP have its way with you, dear.
Bob is asking legit questions here. Please be quiet while the grownups discuss this.
I DID read the Facebook post.
I DID read the Facebook post. That's why I only commented on what he said. The video ought to make it clear where he was shot. I just think everyone has been so quick to pounce on "I can't breathe" as an attempt to tap into sympathy for Eric Garner, that they forget that someone might actually say it.
killing persons of interest
I think you're right. If you distrust the deceased, his father and/or his brother you could pounce on that statement, "I can't breathe," as contrived, it's too perfect. If you think a gun shot resulted in a collapsed lung, then it seems like an entirely reasonable thing to say. Resolving this debate using deductive logic with the info we have now is futile. I think the coroner's report may give the information we need to draw a conclusion.
Puts this whole discussion to bed
indeed
thank you.
Classy
/cowardly, possibly overtly racist way to mock the death of fellow human being.
FBI is slow to release info
So goodness knows when we'll get a better idea of what happened and what kind of investigation it was part of with the JTTF.
It certainly would give some credibility to the FBI if the video were released, especially following the glacially slow information leaks in the Todashev shooting.
You clearly don't understand
You clearly don't understand how and why criminal investigations work. It's ok.
Why?
They are building a complex legal case, every I has to be dotted, every t crossed. They aren't "glacially slow" just to irritate you. This is real life, not CSI Las Vegas.
I'm well aware
Of the painstaking process involved in building a case. I was speaking to the fact that the FBI released a curt statement re: the Todashev incident after it occurred, investigated themselves and immediately cleared themselves of any wrongdoing and then proceeded to stonewall any other attempts to find out what happened.
It was not a reassuring response.
I hear they plan to show the video of this, which is reassuring in that they hopefully don't plan to sweep it under the rug in the name of fighting terrorism.
last night on the news
they reported BPD announced they will show the video to 'community leaders.'
the instinct is right, get the video evidence out. the execution is wrong, everyone in the city who cares to see this should be able to.
I imagine they will release video very soon
That strategy seemed to work well last time there was an officer-involved shooting, when the policeman was shot in the face. Quickly put speculation to rest.
That was BPD alone
BPD is credible. FBI is not.
Any questions?
helicopters are still flying
There has been a constant slew of helicopters and planes this afternoon. Undoubtedly some are from the media; but given the cloud cover what could they possibly see?
If you can see them
They can see you.
cannot see them....
....but certainly hear them loud and clear.
So, can they hear you?
So, can they hear you?
Just saw an Everett Police van on Mass Ave Connector..
sandwiched between a few unmarked cop cars with their blinkers on heading towards Roxbury via Melnea Cass.
London beheadings anyone?
2 years ago last month.
Something to keep in mind when questioning the motives of the FBI.
I don't follow the logic?
How do you get from "There are bad guys out there" to "The FBI is clean"
I never said anything about the FBI "being clean"
Clearly there is more going on than meets the eye with this story. The FEDs were not following this guy for nothing. Lets wait till the story is fished out. That's a pretty big knife to be carrying around when the police made their move. Lets find out why.
Because many people think the
Because many people think the FBI (for no real reason whatsoever) are big mean bad guys who want to do nothing but ruin lives. That's right kids, part of an FBI agents job description is to run investigations at glacial speed and shoot knife wielding territors in that back.
Why were they following him?
I heard on the news that he had threatened to attack law enforcement officers on social media which is why they were following him. If this is true and if it is also true that they approached him without weapons drawn and he attacked them as described I'd say he ended up where he was possibly going to anyway but failed to accomplish his goals along the way.
Meanwhile...
18"x 24" color photo of the knife
Reminds me of the 1967 song "Alice's Resturant" by Arlo Guthrie, upsized for 2015
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/a/arlo+guthrie/alices+restaurant_20518619.html
This is what happens when you
This is what happens when you play defense instead of offense over seas: We now got terrorists living amongst us ready to attack us here on the homeland.
You may be too young to remember ...
But we had terrorists launching attacks in the 1970s, too. And they had nothing to do with our foreign policy.
Jesus
The day you must be having moderating anonymous comments today, Adam. If it were me, I would have gone "Nuke the site from orbit" 9 hours ago. Next time you're out in parkside JP, first drink is on me.
That comfy armchair
Must be where you learned this. What game did you happen to be playing when this dawned on you?
That appears to be a KA-BAR
That appears to be a KA-BAR or a similar knock-off. Posting because the Globe misidentified it as a "machete" (much bigger knife) this morning.
Funnily
when they were saying "machete" and "military knife" this morning, I though, "Gee I bet that's a KA-BAR."
My husband has his father's old one lying around the house, for some reason. I think he took it on the T to go camping a few times, too...
Yup
media in general are notorious for incorrectly identifying weapons, and other details. This sloppiness extends to non-crime stories as well.
Ontario 8325 Spec Plus SP6
Ontario 8325 Spec Plus SP6 Fighting Knife Fixed 8" Blade
I did some google-fu on the press pictures during some downtime yesterday.
Do you think Marty
looks like a deer in the headlights in this pic? When are Charlie Baker and Marty Walsh going to do something about the mosques in Boston that are radicalizing these people?
You are the worst.
You are the worst.
Conservative media, websites
Conservative media, websites mostly like Pamala Geller's and Breibart have been publishing articles about Boston mosques and radicalization, mostly connected to Tsarnaev coverage. You have to be a close reader to distinguish the fear mongering from the fact. I can't say if the deceased, his brother or his father were ever identified in that coverage.
I'm interested if this man ever made a credible threat on line or whether the NSA and FBI flagged him because of what he read.
Oddly as it sounds, I really hope there's compelling evidence he was seriously into planning violence but I don't think there is because I think that constitutes probable cause and JTTF said they didn't have probable cause.
No
I think he's trying to look serious and involved.
trying to look
Read much?
They left the Islamic Center because it was "too liberal." The elder Tsarnaev was basically booted from the Cambridge mosque on Prospect Street because they thought he was nuts. But please--keep going ahead and blaming...who?
unreal
please throw your computer and/or smartphone and/or tablet into the ocean. fucking hell.
I know, right?
Those houses of worship sure are shit-stirrers. And it's not just the mosques! Just look at all the cathedrals and synagogues plaguing this fair city, radicalizing their worshipers to attempt god-knows-what. I heard a Christian was convicted for going around murdering people! I blame the religious leadership for not taking a stand against that sort of thing. All hope is not lost, though: there's an easy solution staring us in the face, though. We just have to methodically set fire to the buildings, and then--
Hey, where are you going? I thought we were preaching the same gospel?
Imagine
there's no Heaven. It's easy if you try...
What, specifically?
What, specifically, should the governor and mayor "do" about these houses of worship?
Now, now, silly
We can't do that because then they would also have to do something about Scott Lively and also that AssResistance nest of gay hate, plus the bigoted hate churches that feed off the military bases.
Oh, Anne...
Are you single? I'd love to take you to lunch, film it and then post it onto YouTube for everyone to enjoy! You name the restaurant and I'm paying!
Keep your wallet in your pocket
I'm sure we can GoFundMe the shit out of that.
Sorry Dvdoff
I don't think he's your type.
May I suggest the Unicorn Cafe?
You know, the place where your meals are served on the backs of rainbow-hued Unicorns, attended by winged faeries and purple imps?
It's the same place that they teach cops to shoot threatening, knife-wielding assailants in the knee rather than the torso. You'll love it there, Dvdoff.
Will Howie Carr be my server?
Listening in today, he and his coterie of cretins are more than ecstatic than this man decided to make his last stand. In their minds, he was guilty of being Muslim, so that seems to be good enough for some people.
That's just what Marty looks
That's just what Marty looks like. He has resting simpleton face.
A lot has been reported and a
A lot has been reported and a lot of comments have been made about this case, but there are some glaring holes in the story that I think absolutely have to be answered before anybody can possibly reach any sort of conclusion. We know he was under surveillance, we know he was carrying a knife, and we know he was acting hostilely before he was shot. We don't know what led up to that confrontation. How do you go from under surveillance to shot dead ? That's not a single step process. We have to know the specifics of what transpired and I can't think of any valid reason we should learn that later rather than now. We know the police and agents involved did not intend to arrest him. But they didn't say exactly what they did intend to do and why, or even if, they chose to do it then and there. Did they confront him intentionally or were they supposed to be shadowing him and got their cover blown ? We know the police were aware of his plot to attack police. So why did they have so few officers there, and ones armed only with guns and not more cops armed also with non lethal weapons ? There are a lot of gaps to be filled in and with the suspect dead I don't think there is any credible reason for the police to withhold the answers. And before somebody chimes in with "ongoing case", the case against the dead guy is closed. If there is an ongoing investigation involving other people then by all means keep details of that secret.