A terror suspect shot dead in Boston on Tuesday was planning to decapitate police officers and Pamela Geller, the Conservative blogger behind the controversial "draw Muhammad" contest in Texas.
Police reports on Wednesday revealed that 26-year-old Usaama Rahim had initially planned to travel to New York, find Geller, and behead her. However, Rahim, who had recently bought three fighting knives and a sharpener, changed course before his death, instead electing to kill police officers, according to the FBI.
"I'm just going to go after them, those boys in blue. 'Cause it's the easiest target and the most common is the easiest for me," Rahim told alleged co-conspirator David Wright in a phone call Tuesday.
"I just got myself a nice little tool ... it's good for carving wood and like, you know, carving sculptures," he added.
However, before he was able to carry out the deadly attack, Rahim was confronted and shot dead by police after he refused to drop one of the knives, CNN reports.
The FBI revealed that Rahim and Wright were likely influenced by ISIS, a violent jihadist group known for its brutal execution of westerners and those who do not abide by its strict brand of Islam. In its propaganda videos published worldwide, the terror group has vowed to destroy the "nation of the cross."
The suspect is believed to have also been targeting Pamela Geller, the Conservative activist and blogger who organized May's cartoon contest for images of the Muslim prophet Muhammad in Garland, Texas. According to Sharia law, images of Muhammad are blasphemous.
The contest was halted last month after two gunmen opened fire at the "Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest," wounding an off-duty police officer before being shot down by police.
At the time, Franklin Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan's Purse, criticized Geller, arguing that the event only served to put police at risk and "antagonize" Muslims.
"The organizers of the cartoon contest in Garland, Texas, had the constitutional right to do what they did--but just because we have the "right" to do something doesn't make it right" he wrote in a Facebook post. "As a Christian I'm offended when people mock my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Muslims are offended when people mock their faith. I disagree with Islam. But just because I disagree, I'm not going to mock them or resort to violence. We need to show respect to people of other races and beliefs. What happened to civility and respect?"
Speaking to ABC News' Tom Llamas in a phone interview Wednesday night, Geller called the most recent incident "chilling."
"When you consider that they want to cut my head off and leave it on my chest the way they did Foley and the other aid workers in the Middle East because of a cartoon, this is the state of freedom in this country," she said.
Despite her "army of security," Geller, who is also the president of the American Freedom Defense Initiative, denied ABC News' request to speak on camera, saying she feared for her safety.
"I have a very false sense of security," she said. "It is a very serious threat."
However, Rahim's threat has only deepened her convictions, she said.
"It's given me greater resolve," she added. "This is the First Amendment. This is elemental. This is Americanism."
Meanwhile, prosecutor Stephanie Siegmann said Wright, who is related to Rahim, posed a serious risk of fleeing or obstructing justice if not held pending a June 19 hearing.
Conversely, Wright's attorney, Jessica Hedges, argued that he has deep roots in the Boston area and an "incredibly loving and supportive family."
She urged the government to be "as transparent as possible" and "abide by the law" as it investigates this case, saying "we have serious concerns about that already."
"These cases are a reminder of the dangers posed by individuals radicalized through social media," McCaul said, Fox News reports.
