Boston bombing suspects: Authorities have confirmed that three more suspects were arrested in the Boston Marathon bombing case.
The three new suspects are:
Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, college students from Kazakhstan, where both the current suspects are from.
Robel Phillipos, a 19-year old college student.
All three were either current or recent students at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, part of the state university system.
Their lawyers defended them outside the courthouse on May 1.
Update:
At a court appearance in the afternoon, the Kazakh students did not request bail and will be held for another hearing May 14. Phillipos was held for a hearing on Monday.
If convicted, Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov could get up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Phillipos faces a maximum of eight years behind bars and a $250,000 fine.
The new suspects are charged with removing a backpack containing fireworks and a labtop from Tsarnaev’s room, then throwing away the backpack.
Update:
A federal law enforcement official says one of the students from Kazakhstan arrested Wednesday in the Boston Marathon bombings was allowed to return to the United States this year despite not having a valid student visa. Authorities say that after the explosions he helped remove a laptop and backpack from the bombing suspect’s dormitory room before the FBI searched it.
The official says Azamat Tazhayakov (AHZ‘-maht tuh-ZAYE’-uh-kov) left the U.S. in December. Tazhayakov’s student-visa status was terminated in early January after he was academically dismissed from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the official says. Despite not having a valid student visa, Tazhayakov was allowed to re-enter the U.S. on Jan. 20.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss details of Tazhayakov’s immigration status.
Update:
The third suspect has been identified as 19-year old Robel Phillipos. He’s charged with making false statements to federal investigators, while the other two men are charged with conspiring to obstruct justice.
The affidavit says Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev agreed to get rid of the backpack after concluding from news reports that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was one of the bombers. A court appearance for the three is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Update:
The U.S. Attorney’s office said on Twitter that the three men arrested in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings will appear in federal court in Boston at 3:30 p.m.
The men were arrested for “conspiring to obstruct justice and false statement charges,” according to the attorney’s office.
Update:
The three include two college friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev who came to the U.S. from Kazakhstan, authorities and a defense attorney said Wednesday.
The allegations against them were not immediately disclosed.
Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line.
Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a gunfight with police several days later. His brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured and lies in a hospital prison.
Linda Cristello, a Boston attorney who represented Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev in immigration court Wednesday morning, confirmed her clients now face separate federal charges and have an afternoon court appearance related to the bombing case.
The two have been held in jail for more than a week on allegations that they violated their student visas while attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
The report comes just a day after the FBI spoke with Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s widow, Katherine Russell, at her parents home in Rhode Island.
The Boston bombings killed three people and left more than 200 people wounded.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a police shootout two weeks ago and his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was arrested after massive police manhunt a day later. He is currently being treated at a prison medical facility at Fort Devens.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
