Man Under Terror Surveillance Shot Dead in Boston

A man under surveillance as a possible terror suspect was shot dead by police and the FBI outside a Boston pharmacy Tuesday after brandishing a knife at officers, police said.

Local media identified the man as being in his mid-20s and of Middle Eastern descent, but his name was not revealed. 

He refused multiple orders to throw his military-style knife to the ground, Boston police chief William Evans told reporters at the scene in the northeastern U.S. city.

"Unfortunately he came at the officers and they do what they were trained to do, and unfortunately they had to take a life," Boston Police Commissioner William Evans told reporters at the scene.

"The officers asked him several times to put that knife down. They gave him several commands," Evans said.

Authorities were searching a nearby apartment building as part of their investigation, The Boston Globe reported.

The suspect was reportedly under surveillance by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force for several weeks.

He was pronounced dead at hospital.