Tsarnaev’s College Friends Face Federal Charges in Boston Marathon Bombing
In the days following the Boston Marathon bombings April 15, accused suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev texted with a college friend thrusting him and two others into the precarious situation of helping the man who may have attacked the city. Dias Kadyrbayev, 19, Azamat Tazhayakov, 20, and Robel Phillipos, 20, looked every bit as young in their initial federal court appearance Wednesday afternoon as their actions in the days following the bombing would indicate, according to the federal criminal complaint against them. Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov each face one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, and Phillipos faces a charge of making false statements in a terrorism investigation. Each voluntarily denied bail and were detained following their appearance before Judge Marianne B. Bowler at John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston. Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov, nationals of Kazakhstan who were in immigration court Wednesday morning because of expired student visas, face a maximum penalty of five years in prison with three years supervised release and a fine of $ 250,000. Phillipos faces a maximum penalty of an eight-year prison term with three years supervised release and a fine of $ 250,000. All three said they would be able to afford lawyers. Kadyrbayev, Tazhayakov and Phillipos, who all attended University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with Tsarnaev, are accused of disposing of a backpack they found in Tsarnaev’s Pine Dale Hall dorm room that contained fireworks emptied of gunpowder and a laptop computer at around 10 p.m. April 18. Kadyrbayev stuffed the backpack, fireworks and laptop in a black trash bag and threw it in a trash dumpster near the Carriage Drive apartments in New Bedford where Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov lived. Hours before, after seeing the photos released by the FBI of Dzokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Kadyrbayev texted Dzokhar Tsarnaev and told him he looks like the suspect, according to the complaint, filed by FBI special agent Scott P. Cieplik. It was then that they decided to go to Tsarnaev’s dorm room and take action. “Tsarnaev’s return texts contained ‘lol’ and other things Kadyrbayev interpreted as jokes such as ‘you better not text me’ and ‘come to my room and take whatever you want,’” the complaint says. In court, the stone-faced, soft-spoken suspects appeared in T-shirts, a sweatshirt and jeans. At one point Bowler scolded Phillipos for not paying attention. “I suggest you pay attention to me rather than looking down,” she said. Phillipos, from Cambridge, is accused to lying to federal investigators about his role in the attempted cover up. In an April 19 inverview, he told investigators he did not go to Tsarnaev’s dorm room after texting with Kadyrbayev April 18. He later […]
Gov. Patrick Seeks Federal Relief for Businesses in Blast Zone
Gov. Deval Patrick appealed to a federal administration today to get relief for the business impacted by the Boston Marathon bombings. Patrick sent a letter to the U.S. Small Business Administration requesting that the administration issue an Economic Injury Declaration for Suffolk County so that long term/low interest SBA loans may be available to the affected businesses and private non-profit organizations, according to a press statement from the governor’s office Friday. Numerous businesses on Boylston and its cross streets were forced to stay closed from April 15 to April 24 or 25 because a 12-block area surrounding the bombing site was considered a crime scene by the FBI. In order to receive this federal assistance, the Commonwealth must show that businesses were negatively impacted and suffered substantial economic injury, according to Patrick’s statement. “Requesting this federal aid will help Boston and the Commonwealth recover faster from the tragic events that unfolded at the Marathon,” Patrick said in the statement. “I urge the Small Business Administration to approve our request quickly to help the small businesses that keep our Commonwealth strong rebuild.” A preliminary Massachusetts Energy Management Agency survey found that at least five small businesses in the area were severely impacted, which satisfied the requirement for Patrick to file for the assistance, the statement says. President Barack Obama has already issued an Emergency Declaration for Suffolk, Norfolk and Middlesex Counties (the counties that host the Marathon route). The Emergency Declaration authorizes the federal government to reimburse municipalities, state agencies and certain non-profits for 75 percent of the cost of Direct Federal Assistance and emergency protective measures necessary to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of catastrophe in the designated counties. South End Patch
Bombing Suspect Indicted at Bedside, will Face Trial in Federal Court
A federal magistrate visited the bedside of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as the surviving marathon bombing suspect was charged with the crime. Tsarnaev is charged with unlawfully using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction (namely, an improvised explosive device) against persons and property within the United States. He is also charged with maliciously damaging and destroying, by means of explosive, real and personal property used in interstate and foreign commerce and actively affecting interstate and foreign commerce resulting in personal injury and death. Tsarnaev remains in serious condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, according to the FBI. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said this afternoon that Tsarnaev will be tried in civilian court and not treated as an Enemy Combatant. Carney noted that Tsarnaev is a naturalized American citizen and thus cannot be tried in front of a military tribunal, as an enemy combatant would. South End Patch
Federal Courthouse Being Evacuated
BOSTON, MA — Editor’s note: The day of the incident was corrected on Wednesday at 3:24 p.m. UPDATE 4:29 P.M. A media briefing scheduled for 5 p.m. on the marathon bombings has been postponed due to today’s events at the courthouse, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman. No new time given yet. UPDATE 4:21 P.M. Fire trucks are now leaving the scene, Patch editor Bret Silverberg reports. UPDATE 4:15 P.M. While the courthouse will close for the day, employees are being told they can return to courthouse, Silverberg reports. Officials are checking IDs of employees being let back into the building. UPDATE 4:09 P.M. The courthouse is closed for the day, a Boston Police officer told Silverberg on the scene. Homeland Security officers and U.S. Marshals are at the courthouse and officials are at least 30 yards from the media, Silverberg reports. WCVB reporter Kathy Curran reports on Twitter that the U.S. Marshals Office said the courthouse is being swept as a result of a bomb threat. UPDATE 3:28 P.M. WBZ is reporting that a bomb threat was called into the courthouse. ORIGINAL ARTICLE: The federal courthouse on the South Boston waterfront was being evacuated on Wednesday afternoon after a “Code Red” was announced at the building. Reporters and civilians had gathered at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse at the time of the evacuation after conflicting reports of a possible arrest in the Boston Marathon bombings, later denied by Boston Police, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Unconfirmed police scanner transmissions stated a possible bomb threat had been made at the courthouse. Patch editor Bret Silverberg, on scene at the courthouse, reported seeing a police dog sniffing a vehicle parked directly in front of the building. Check back for further updates as they become available. South End Patch
Categories: Arrests Tags: Being, Courthouse, Evacuated, Federal