Boston bombingThree of Dzhokhar’s friends charged with destroying evidence (Updated)
Three college students have been arrested on suspicion that they helped Dzhokhar Tsarnaev destroy evidence which would have provided details about his and his brother’s preparations for the marathon bombing. One of the three then lied to police when asked about their actions. The three are likely to face charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice. One of three will also be charged with lying to federal investigators.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (r.) with Azamat Tazhayakov (l.) and Dias Kadyrbayev in New York City // Source: latercera.com
Yesterday afternoon we published the story about the three friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who were brought before a judge in Boston, accused of destroying evidence which would have helped in the investigation of the marathon bombing (one of the three was also charged with lying to federal law enforcement officers.
We ran with the story at the same time that the three suspects were arraigned, before learning the details of the prosecution’s presentation.
Typically, during an arraignment, the prosecution does not reveal all the evidence it has: it offers the court just enough information to show that there is a viable case against the suspects. We should assume, therefore, that the 17-page document offered by the prosecution is just a part, and may be not even a large part, of what investigators have been able to find out about the relationship between the three suspects and Dzhokhar.
There are two intriguing facts – the jar of Vaseline and the laptop — which will likely play a major role in helping answer the question: “What did the three know, and when did they know it?”
The three friends — Azamat Tazhayakov, Dias Kadyrbayev, and Robel Phillipos — went to Tsarnaev’s apartment in the early evening of Thursday, 18 April, after the images of the Tsarnaev brothers were made public. The three noticed a backpack in which they saw fireworks tubes which had been emptied of powder. Kadyrbayev removed the bag, and also took Dzhokhar’s laptop “in order to help his friend Tsarnaev avoid trouble.”
Kadyrbayev explained that they decided to take the laptop with them because, if they took only the backpack, it would have looked as if they were trying to steal something. Taking both the backpack and the laptop looked more like they were going to meet Dzhokhar and were just bringing his stuff to him.
In addition to the backpack and laptop, however, the three also removed a jar of Vaseline from the dorm room. Investigators say that this is a crucial piece of evidence.
Vaseline, or another greasy substance, is typically applied to metal surfaces inside a home-made bomb in order to reduce the likelihood that some particles of the explosive powder would come into contact with the exposed metal casing, sparking a premature boom.
Now, Tazhayakov told investigators that he removed the jar of Vaseline because he believed it had been used to “make the bombs.”
How did he know that?
