Boston shooting: Suspect plotted to behead Pamela Geller, sources say

(CNN)

Usaamah Rahim, who was fatally shot after waving a military knife at law enforcement officers in Boston, was originally plotting to behead Pamela Geller, an activist and conservative blogger, law enforcement sources told CNN on Wednesday.

But Rahim, a 26-year-old security guard who officials believe was radicalized by ISIS and other extremists, decided instead to target the “boys in blue,” a reference to police, according to court documents.

“I can’t wait that long,” he said of the original beheading plan, according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court in Boston on Wednesday.

Geller drew national attention last month after an off-duty police officer working security thwarted an attack at her organization’s contest for Prophet Mohammed drawings in Garland, Texas. She’s president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which includes subsidiary programs Stop Islamization of America and Stop Islamization of Nations.

“They targeted me for violating Sharia blasphemy laws. They mean to kill everyone who doesn’t do their bidding and abide by their law voluntarily,” Geller told CNN’s Erin Burnett.

“This is a showdown for American freedom. Will we stand against this savagery or bow down to them and silence ourselves?”

Geller said that she’s had an “army of security” since last month’s thwarted attack.

“This is what is required just to show a cartoon in America, 2015,” she said. “It’s striking. It’s devastating, and people need to understand what’s at stake. I mean, if we surrender on this point, what will we surrender next?”

About two hours before Rahim’s confrontation Tuesday with officers on a Boston street, he allegedly told an associate he was “going to … go after them, those boys in blue. ‘Cause … it’s the easiest target,” the documents say.

Rahim’s alleged associate, David Wright, 25, appeared in U.S. District Court in Boston on Wednesday to face a charge of obstructing a federal investigation by destroying electronic evidence on Rahim’s smartphone. A detention hearing was scheduled for June 19 after prosecutors said he was a flight risk.

Wright allegedly attempted to destroy co-conspirator Rahim’s cell phone and conceal evidence of their plans, according to the documents. Wright faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted.

Rahim purchased three military fighting knives with blades longer than 8 inches on Amazon.com, the court documents said.

“I just got myself a nice little tool,” Rahim allegedly told his associate, according to the court documents. “You know it’s good for carving wood and … carving sculptures.”

In a recorded conversation, the two men are then heard laughing.