Feds: Roslindale man had plans to behead somebody specific out of state, then decided it would be easier to kill a local cop

In an affidavit in the case against an Everett man, an FBI agent today gave the explanation for why a Boston cop and an FBI agent felt it important to confront Usaama Rahim in Roslindale yesterday: An 5 a.m. phone call, monitored by federal and local terrorism investigators, in which Rahim allegedly explained he didn't want to wait to travel out of state to behead a specific person, so was going to go out and kill one of the local "boys in blue."

A Boston Police officer and an FBI agent fatally shot Rahim, 26, in the parking lot of the CVS on Washington Street, near his Blue Ledge Drive apartment, shortly after 7 a.m. yesterday. Officials say the officers did not intend to arrest Rahim at that point, but that he came at them with a large knife, even after they told him repeatedly to drop the weapon.

In an affidavit filed in US District Court in Boston in the case against David Wright of Everett, a federal investigator also revealed that a third man met with Rahim and Wright on a Rhode Island beach on May 31 to discuss the planned beheading - for which he allegedly prepared by buying "three fighting knives," including an "Ontario Spec Plus Marine Raider Bowie fighting knife," and a sharpener on Amazon.com. In a phone call on May 26:

RAHIM advised WRIGHT that "I just got myself a nice little tool. You know it's good for carving wood and like, you know, carving sculptures ... and you know ..." WRIGHT and RAHIM then both began laughing. I believe that when RAHIM said "nice little tool" that was "good for carving," he was referring to the Marine Raider Bowie fighting knife that he had purchased the previous day.

The potential victim of the beheading - and that third man - were not identified, although press reports say the alleged intended victim was anti-Moslem activist Pamela Geller.

At a press conference on Tuesday, local and federal law-enforcement officials said they had had Rahim under 24-hour surveillance "for some time," which explains the urgency to talk to Rahim after he got off the phone with Wright yesterday morning.

According to the affidavit, Rahim and Wright talked around 5 a.m. on Tuesday. Rahim allegedly said he could no longer wait to go out of state to behead his original intended victim. Wright allegedly asked if he were "going on vacation" instead:

Yeah, I'm going to be on vacation right here in Massachusetts ... I'm just going to ah go after them, those boys in blue. Cause, ah, it's the easiest target and, ah, the most common is the easiest for me ...

Additionally, during this conversation, RAHIM revealed to WRIGHT that he planned to randomly kill police officers in Massachusetts either yesterday (June 2) or today (June 3). In response, WRIGHT advised him to prepare his will and leave "his possessions" to a named individual. ...

After discussing with RAHIM the plan to attack police officers, WRIGHT directed RAHIM to delete information from, and destroy, his Smartphone and wipe his laptop computer. Specifically, with regards to RAHIM's phone, WRIGHT instructed RAHIM:

WRIGHT: Make sure also, very important, make sure that, ah, at the moment that you decide to that you ah, delete, you delete ah, from your phone or you break it apart. Throw it down to the ground.
RAHIM: Yup.
WRIGHT: Get rid of it, before anybody gets it; make sure it's completely destroyed.
RAHIM: I will.
WRIGHT: Because, at the scene, at the scene, CSI will be looking for that particular thing and so dump it, get rid of that. At the time you are going to do it, before you reach your destination you get rid of it.

Because he allegedly told Rahim to destroy the phone, Wright was charged with one count of conspiracy, specifically, "to obstruct a federal investigation by destroying electronic evidence on Rahim’s smartphone."

The affidavit briefly discusses Rahim's death:

Shortly after this conversation, on June 2, 2015, RAHIM was on a public street in the Boston area, when he was approached by Boston Police Officers and FBI special agents. RAHIM took out one of the knives he had purchased from Amazon.com when he saw the officers and agents. One of the officers told RAHIM to drop his weapon and RAHIM responded, "you drop yours." RAHIM then moved towards the officers while brandishing his weapon, and he was shot by law enforcement.

Not long after, FBI agents went to Wright's Everett home for a chat, the affidavit continues:

During this interview, the agents asked WRIGHT about what had transpired at the Sunday meeting on the beach in Rhode Island. According to WRIGHT, at that meeting, RAHIM told WRIGHT and the third person that he was going to behead the intended victim in another state. WRIGHT indicated that he agreed with RAHIM's plan and supported it.

Wright is also known as Dawud Sharif Wright and Dawud Sharif Abdul Khaliq.

Innocent, etc.