Boston police say a man they just arrested, as well as the man they shot and killed in the city streets, were plotting to behead an officer and were likely tied to ISIS.
"We believe the intent was to behead a police officer," one spokesman for the police said Wednesday, in reference to the arrest of David Wright, a man believed to have been tied to the man who was just shot and killed by officers, the Boston Globe reported. "We knew the plot had to be stopped. They were planning to take action Tuesday."
The man who was killed, Usaama Rahim, 26, had been under 24-hour surveillance by anti-terrorism experts, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Vincent Lisi, CNN reported. Rahim was shot and killed by police after he reportedly brandished a knife at them and lunged, various media outlets said.
Later Tuesday, police also arrested Wright on federal charges connected to the shooting, said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. She declined to provide details of the charges, but he's due to make a first appearance in federal court on Wednesday afternoon.
"As of right now, we don't think there is any concern for public safety," Lisi said, in CNN.
Rahim, meanwhile, was believed to have been "a threat" and someone police "were watching for quite some time," Boston Police Commissioner Williams Evans said, CNN reported.
Right before his shooting, FBI agents reported a change in his behavior that seemed suspicious, particularly against police, and that's what prompted them to initially approach him in the streets, CNN reported. After they approached, Rahim reportedly brandished his knife and attacked. Police ultimately opened fire and killed him.
CNN reported Rahim was believed by law enforcement to have been radicalized by ISIS.