Report: Three Additional Suspects In Marathon Bombing Taken Into Custody
Nothing official yet, but the Boston Police Department has sent this out from their official Twitter account:
Three additional suspects taken into custody in Marathon bombing case. Details to follow.
— Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) May 1, 2013
Early reports indicate that these individuals are in the custody of the FBI. There are no reports that any charges are pending against these individuals, or in what capacity they are being detained. However, this possibly sends the entire Boston Marathon case into an entirely different direction.
Update: The Boston Globe and other news outlets are reporting that the three men are connected somehow, possibly roommates, of Dzhokar Tsarnaev at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth:
Three college students have been arrested by federal authorities in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings, a law enforcement official familar with the case said this morning.
The Boston police Web page said that three additional “suspects” had been taken into custody. It emphasized that there was no threat to public safety.
The three people were connected to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, the surviving bomb suspect, at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where Tsarnaev was a student. They allegedly helped him after the bombing, a different source told the Globe.
“Additional details will be provided when they become available,” police said in a statement. No news conference was scheduled.
Based on other reports, it appears that these men may have been involved in helping Dzhokar dispose of certain items related to the bombing. Depending on their level of involvement, these three individuals could be charged as accessories after the fact, a relatively minor charge under Federal Law, or conspiracy, which would constitute a far more serious charge. Two crucial questions will be what they knew about why they were being asked to help him dispose of items, and when they were asked. If it happened after the Tsarnaev brothers photos has been released by the FBI,they’d likely have a more serious problem than if it happened the Tuesday after the bombing.
Update #2: Further information from The Boston Globe:
Two Kazakh men and a third man have been arrested by federal authorities in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings, a law enforcement official familar with the case said this morning.
The two men, Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, came to America from the Central Asian nation to study at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, where Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was also enrolled. The law enforcement official did not release the name of the third person arrested.
The three people arrested were connected to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, the surviving bomb suspect, at the university and allegedly helped him after the bombing, a different source told the Globe.
The two Kazakh men had been in custody since last week on visa violations, the third man is reportedly an American citizens. Reports indicate that among the things that they are accused of disposing of on Tsarnaev behalf are explosives and fireworks in a backpack and Tsarnaev’s laptop, which police have been searching for since he was taken into custody.
Any indication if they’re related to the brothers? Anecdotal reports were sounding like they were fairly wacky also…
The Boston Globe says they are UMass-Dartmouth students who were associated with the younger brother, who was also a student there.
More reports now saying that the charges are for aiding/harboring after the fact, and not tied directly to the bombing itself.
But I hope the authorities are still on the lookout for Axelrod’s and Obama’s tax protesters.
How many more before the government has to backtrack, make excuses, play the blame game, and make up more tales ?