Chairman: Boston terror suspect radicalized through IS group

The man who was shot and killed by terrorism investigators had been spreading propaganda for the Islamic State group online, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee said today.
Usaama Rahim was shot by members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force after police say he lunged at them with a knife when they approached him to question him outside a Boston pharmacy. Boston police and FBI officials say Rahim had been under 24-hour surveillance after they received some "terrorist-related information."
A law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that Rahim had been making threats against law enforcement. The official was not authorized to release details of the investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Rep Michael McCaul, speaking in Washington, said the terrorism task force was investigating Rahim because he had been "communicating with and spreading ISIS propaganda online." ISIS is an older term for the Islamic State group.
"These cases are a reminder of the dangers posed by individuals radicalized through social media," McCaul said.
Boston police and the FBI said Rahim was shot after he went after officers with a large military-style knife and refused to drop the weapon.

Rahim's brother, a well-known imam, has disputed the police account of the shooting. He said his brother was shot as he waited for a bus to take him to work.

"He was confronted by three Boston Police officers and subsequently shot in the back three times. He was on his cellphone with my dear father during the confrontation needing a witness," Ibrahim Rahim wrote on his Facebook page.
Ibrahim Rahim couldn't be reached for more comment. In an email, he said he was traveling to Boston to bury his brother. Usaama Rahim was shot outside a pharmacy where had worked since March.
Police said they have video showing that officers did not have their weapons drawn when they approached Rahim and that they backed up when he initially lunged at them with the knife. Police planned to show the video to civil rights leaders and clergy today during a meeting at police headquarters.

Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said Rahim had been under 24-hour surveillance by terrorism investigators.