Todashev father decries son's death at FBI hands

The father of the Chechen immigrant says shooting was "execution-style," calls for investigation

Published May 30, 2013 6:45PM (EDT)

Abdul-Baki Todashev, father of Ibragim Todashev -- shot dead by an FBI agent while being questioned about his connection to late Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev -- is calling for an investigation into his son's death. He claimed during a Moscow press conference Thursday that the FBI agents killed his son "execution-style" and he displayed a series of gruesome photos, allegedly showing six gunshot wounds in his son's torso and one in the back of his head. As noted earlier, officials have stated that contrary to early reports, the 27-year-old Chechen was not armed when he reportedly launched at the agents. The AP noted that the photographs have note been authenticated. The photos were reportedly taken by his son's friend, Khusen Taramov.

In the days following Todashev's death, Taramov told the press of his shock and anger.

The AP noted:

Greg Comcowich, a spokesman for the Boston FBI, declined to comment Thursday on the elder Todashev's claim that his son was unarmed.

Abdul-Baki Todashev said the photos were emailed to him by Taramov, who apparently was at the morgue to identify the body. The father said Taramov was part of the Muslim community holding the body for the family until they could retrieve it.

The father said Taramov told him that U.S. agents interrogated him on the street while five officials interrogated Todashev in his Florida house for eight hours on May 22, the night he was shot. He said his son was "100 percent unarmed."

... "I'd only seen and heard things like that in the movies – they shoot somebody and then a shot in the head to make sure," Todashev said.


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 Explosions Boston Marathon Bombing Fbi Fbi Shooting Ibragim Todashev Russia Tamerlan Tsarnaev