Police the target for beheading plot suspect

A knife-wielding man killed by terror investigators had planned to behead an unidentified victim, then changed his mind and said he wanted to kill police officers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said.

Usaama Rahim plotted for at least a week, the FBI said in a complaint against a relative who was arrested on Tuesday, hours after Rahim was shot dead. David Wright, was held on Wednesday on a charge of conspiracy with intent to obstruct a federal investigation.

An anti-terror task force of FBI agents and Boston policeconfronted Rahim on a footpath and fatally shot him when he refused to drop his knife, authorities said.

Rahim and Wright were heard in a recorded conversation talking about “thinking with your head on your chest,” a reference to Islamic State propaganda videos showing severed heads on the chests of beheading victims, an FBI affidavit said.

Rahim had told Wright about a plan to behead an unidentified victim outside Massachusetts, and on Sunday, Rahim, Wright and an unidentified man met in Rhode Island to “discuss their plans”.

Early Tuesday, Rahim called Wright and told him he changed his plans, that instead he was going to “go after” the “boys in blue,” the affidavit says, an apparent reference to police officers.