Before FBI shooting man implicated self, Tsarnaev in triple murder

Sources claim Ibragim Todashev admitted to the 2011 murder during questioning Tuesday night

Published May 23, 2013 11:47AM (EDT)

Question marks hang over the shooting by an FBI agent in Orlando Wednesday of a young Chechen man with connections to the late Boston bombing suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev. According to CBS, during questioning on Tuesday night Ibragim Todashev implicated himself and the elder Tsarnaev brother -- his friend through mixed martial arts -- in a 2011 triple murder. Meanwhile, friends of Todashev are demanding answers about his death, as early reports that the Chechen immigrant had a knife with which he threatened an agent have come under scrutiny.

CBS reported:

Law enforcement sources said the two Chechen immigrants once trained together at a Boston area gym. But evidence also suggests a criminal connection, involvement in a grisly triple murder that occurred in September 2011, in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Three men, including one who trained at the same gym, were found with their throats cut, their bodies had been covered with marijuana and thousands of dollars in cash. No one has been charged.

But sources say during questioning Tuesday night, Todashev implicated himself and Tamerlan Tsarnaev in the killings. As investigators pushed at him towards a confession, he snapped, reported Orr.

Law enforcement officials say the 27-year-old mixed martial arts fighter made a move that threatened the investigators. The FBI agent, who suffered cuts in the altercation, shot and killed Todashev.


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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Boston Explosions Boston Marathon Bombing Fbi Ibragim Todashev Murder Orlando Tamerlan Tsarnaev