Tsarnaev friend shot by FBI was not armed

Few other details have been released about the strange death of Ibragim Todashev

Published May 30, 2013 1:00PM (EDT)

Ibragim Todashev, 27, a Chechen immigrant and acquaintance of Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot dead by an FBI agent while being questioned about his connections to the late Boston bombing suspect. Initial reports indicated that the man had launched at agents with a knife, but officials have now stated that the man was unarmed. His friends and family members have responded to his death with anger and suspicion, nothing the Todashev had been cooperating with the authorities.

According to reports, the night before his shooting Todashev, who knew Tsarnaev through mixed martial arts training, had admitted to agents that he and the Boston suspect were responsible for a 2011 triple murder, believed to be over a drug deal. Via the Washington Post:

The FBI has provided few other details, saying that the matter is being investigated by an FBI review team that may not finish its probe for several months.

“The FBI takes very seriously any shooting incidents involving our agents and as such we have an effective, time-tested process for addressing them internally,” FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said in a statement Wednesday. “The review process is thorough and objective and conducted as expeditiously as possible under the circumstances.”

At the time of the shooting, Todashev was being interviewed about his possible connection to a triple murder in Waltham, Mass., on Sept. 11, 2011. Law enforcement officials said he had acknowledged involvement in the murders and had implicated Tsarnaev. Officials said Todashev was not suspected of involvement in the April 15 Boston bombing.


By Natasha Lennard

Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.

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Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Boston Bombings Boston Explosions Boston Marathon Bombing Fbi Florida Ibragim Todashev Tamerlan Tsarnaev