Raphael Teken, from Facebook memorial page
Boston terrorist's pal admits link to 2011 murder of 3 Jews
Ibrahim Todashev, friend of suspected Boston Marathon terrorist, confesses to his involvement in murder of three Jewish men two years ago. Todashev, shot dead by FBI agent on Wednesday, is not suspected to be linked to marathon attack
WASHINGTON – The link between Tamerlan Tsarnaev,
suspected of committing the terrorist attack at the Boston
Marathon in April, to a cruel homicide of three Jewish
men in September 2011, tightens. Ibrahim Todashev, a friend of Tsarnaev who was shot and killed in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday after attacking an FBI
agent, admitted in his investigation he was involved in the murder of Brendan Mess, Raphael Teken and Erik Weisseman, together with Tsarnaev.
The Jewish men were brutally murdered, and marijuana was scattered on their bodies to make the scene seem drug-related. They were murdered in Mess's apartment in Waltham, west of Boston. A Boston Police investigation reached a dead end, and no suspects were arrested.
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Todashev, 27, told his investigators that while devoting himself to martial arts and training, he met Tsarnaev, who was a boxer. Two Massachusetts police officers and other law enforcement professionals took part in his interrogation, as they tried to link him to the marathon attack. At the point it was apparent that Todashev was actually linked to the 2011 triple homicide, he pulled a knife and injured an investigator, and in response he was shot and killed by the FBI agent.
Tsarnaev brothers (Photo: AP)
A legal source revealed that only during the investigation it became clear Todashev was involved in the triple murder two years ago, and that Todashev was not suspected of being involved in the Boston marathon attack. The FBI tracked him down in an effort to reach everyone who knew the Tsarnaev brothers and could be a possible danger to the public. Tamerlan Tsarnaev's phone number was found on Todashev's phone.
The triple murder made headlines by the families of the three Jewish victims after Tamerlan Tsarnaev's involvement in the Boston marathon attack was published. Tamerlan met Brendan Mess at the gym where they boxed and became friends. To the surprise of many, he did not come to the funeral.
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