Boston's district attorney on Monday released a portion of a grainy surveillance video that shows a Boston police detective and several FBI agents pursuing a terrorist suspect, who was allegedly wielding a long-bladed knife, before killing him.
The blurry recording, taken from the security camera of a fast-food restaurant about 50 yards away, shows Usaama Rahim, 26, crossing a parking lot toward a bus shelter, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley. A detective and four FBI agents soon move swiftly after him.
Rahim was under 24-hour surveillance when he died on June 2, and officials have claimed that he was an imminent threat. Shortly before the shooting, officials recorded a phone conversation between Rahim and his nephew, another terrorist suspect who's been arrested, in which Rahim allegedly said he would "go after" the "boys in blue."
In the video, the barely distinguishable bodies close in on Rahim, then give him ground at the moment when -- according to Conley -- Rahim brandishes a military-style knife. The knife cannot be seen in the video, according to a WCVB report. Rahim got within three or four feet of the officials before a police officer and an FBI agent fired three shots, according to CBS Boston. The silent video shows Rahim crumpling to the ground.
Some details of the shooting have been disputed by Rahim's family and by Muslim leaders.
Rahim's brother has apologized for alleging soon after the shooting that law enforcement shot Rahim in the back while he talked on the phone with his father. An aunt, meanwhile, said at a press conference last week that Rahim carried a knife for protection and that he's under suspicion because he was a Muslim.
The police and FBI agents repeatedly told Rahim to drop the knife before shooting, according to Boston police Commissioner William Evans.
The video was privately shown to Rahim's family and civic leaders last week to dispel rumors about the incident. Conley withheld the video from the public until after Rahim's funeral, at the request of the family.
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