Showing African-American and Muslim leaders video of a black Islamic terror suspect being killed in Boston was a "smart" move by investigators because it defused a false claim the man was shot in the back, ex-Navy SEAL and ex-FBI agent and Navy SEAL Jonathan Gilliam tells
Newsmax TV.
"The fact is that they did something very smart this time. They've learned from all these different things that have happened in Baltimore, in New York," Gilliam said Wednesday on "The Steve Malzberg Show."
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"They just went ahead and put it right in their face and said this is what happened, so now they can't say anything.
"They saw with the brother's immediate [online] post — which listen, I know he lost his brother — but that was one of the dumbest posts I've ever seen in my life, immediately saying he was shot in the back and that 'I can't breathe' nonsense."
Authorities said Usaama Rahim, 26, who was wielding a knife,
had plotted for at least a week to randomly attack police officers and behead them. The allegation came in a complaint against David Wright, 24, who was arrested the same day Rahim was shot dead.
The FBI says the pair, Islamic State-sympathizers they had been following, purchased three fighting knives and a knife sharpener. When they confronted Rahim on the streets and he refused to drop his knife, they killed him.
Rahim's brother Ibrahim alleged in a Facebook posting that police repeatedly shot Usaama Rahim in the back on Tuesday as he made a phone call for help. But the video proved him a liar.
Gilliam is president of U.S. Continued Service, which helps employ military veterans.
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