A federal grand jury has indicted two friends of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dhzokhar Tsarnaev on obstruction of justice charges.
The U.S. District Attorney’s office confirmed the news on Twitter. According to CBS News, Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, both 19 and nationals of Kazakhstan, were charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and obstructing justice with the intent to impede investigation.
Federal grand jury in Boston indicts Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov for obstruction of justice in Boston Marathon bombing investigation
— U.S. Attorney MA (@DMAnews1) August 8, 2013
Authorities claim in the indictment that three days after the bombing in April, Tsarnaev sent Kadyrbayev a text message, confessing to bombing the Boston Marathon. Tsarnaev told him to go to his “room and take what's there,” according to the indictment.
Boston.com reports that prosecutors say that after they received the message, they went to the room and allegedly collected a laptop, fireworks and a backback and took them to their New Bedford apartment. They then disposed of the items, which were later recovered by investigators at the dump.
Tsarnaev is still in prison without bail. He and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, allegedly planted the bombs at the Boston Marathon finish line, which exploded and killed three and injured over 260 others. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police and Tsarnaev was captured after a manhunt that shut down Boston.