A man identified by Boston police as a surveillance target was shot dead by law enforcement officers in a southern suburb of the city on Tuesday morning, The Guardian reported.
The circumstances of the shooting were still unclear. Boston's police commissioner, William Evans, told reporters that city police officers and an FBI agent working together as part of a joint terrorism taskforce confronted the man outside a CVS store in the Roslindale neighborhood at about 7am.
Evans said the man "came at" officers with a "military-style knife" and multiple officers shot him. The victim was taken to Brigham and Women's hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police officers at the scene displayed a knife for photographers.
"Our officers tried their best to get him to put down the knife,'' Evans said. "Unfortunately, they had to take a life."
Police did not identify the victim, except to say he was in his 20s.
A Boston man, Ibrahim Rahim, said on Facebook and Twitter that the victim was his younger brother, Usaama. Rahim's account of events differed sharply from the police account.
"Your prayers are requested," said a message posted on Facebook by Rahim. "This morning while at the bus stop in Boston, my youngest brother Usaama Rahim was waiting for the bus to go to his job. He was confronted by three Boston Police officers and subsequently shot in the back three times. He was on his cell phone with my dear father during the confrontation needing a witness. His last words to my father who heard the shots were: I can't breathe! While at the hospital, Usaama Rahim died! From Allah we come, and to Allah we return."
Ibrahim Rahim was fired as a prayer leader at Yusuf mosque in Brighton, Massachusetts, in November 2013, according to a termination letter he posted online. A call to the mosque went unanswered. An attempt to contact Rahim via his website was unsuccessful.
Police would not say why the dead man was under surveillance by the terrorism taskforce. Evans said the officers had "tried their best" to disarm him.
"I think our officers tried their best with the FBI to try to convince him to put down the knife but he didn't leave us a choice," Evans said. "It's an active investigation with the joint terrorism taskforce ... It's very fluid, it's ongoing, but we have one male shot and as you can see it is a very active scene.
"All we know is the joint terrorism taskforce was on this guy and when they confronted him to speak with him he turned and came at the officers and unfortunately he was shot dead," the Boston Herald quoted Evans as saying.