College pals of Boston Marathon suspect face criminal charges over claimed post-bombing activities
Three college students who are friends of the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect have been arrested and face federal criminal charges concerning their activities after explosive devices near the finish line killed three and injured approximately 250 people on April 15, authorities say.
The Boston police department confirmed the arrest of the three, all of whom have attended the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, and additional details were provided later in the day Wednesday.
Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, who are from Kazakhstan, are charged with conspiring to obstruct justice. They are accused of going to the U Mass dorm room of bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, after his photo was made public by law enforcement investigators, taking from it a backpack containing firecrackers from which the gunpowder had been removed and throwing it away, according to the Boston Globe.
A third individual, Robel Phillipos, is charged with lying to investigators.
Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev were detained on immigration charges April 20, the Washington Post (reg. req.) reported. Phillopos was recently taken into custody, NBC News reported.
Tsarnaev’s older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, is also suspected of participating in the bombing, but was killed in a shootout with police on April 19.
The New York Times (reg. req.) also has a story.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Law grad G-man helped FBI identify suspects in Boston Marathon bombing”
ABAJournal.com: “Bombing suspect charged at bedside, to be tried in civilian courts”
ABAJournal.com: “Unabomber lawyer Judy Clarke is appointed to represent Boston Marathon bombing suspect”
Washington Post (reg. req.): “As FBI expands Boston investigation, Obama defends law enforcement efforts”
