Three UMass Dartmouth students were charged Wednesday in connection with the deadly Boston Marathon bombings for allegedly hiding items from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s UMass Dartmouth dorm room and lying to federal authorities.

Dias Kadyrbayev and Azamat Tazhayakov, both 19 and of New Bedford, were charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice by conspiring to destroy, conceal and cover up tangible objects belonging to Tsarnaev.

Robel Phillipos, 19, of Cambridge, was charged with willfully making materially false statements to federal law enforcement officials during a terrorims investigation.

The men will make an initial appearance in federal court in Boston at 3:30 p.m., according to the US Attorney’s office.

All three men and Tsarnaev started attending UMass Dartmouth at the same time, authorities said in court documents.

Authorities said Kadybayev and Tazhayakov concealed Tsarnaev’s laptop computer and a backpack containing fireworks. They face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The fireworks friends of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev allegedly found and took from his dorm room days after the Boston Marathon bombings.
Credit: FBI

Phillipos faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Authorities, in a federal criminal complaint released Wednesday, said Kadybayev and Tazhayakov took fireworks, a backpack and a laptop computer from Tsarnaev’s dorm room three days after the bombings. The took the items after seeing pictures of Tsarnaev and his brother on thew news and after Kadybayev received a text message from Tsarnaev that said “I’m about to leave if you need something in my room take it,” authorities wrote in their complaint.

After seeing that Tsarnaev’s older brother was killed and there was a manhunt for the younger suspect in Watertown, the duo threw out the backpack and fireworks. When questioned by authorities, Phillipos, who also went to Tsarnaev’s dorm with the other two suspects, allegedly lied to authorities about taking the items.

At 11:38 a.m., about 30 minutes after making the initial announcement about the arrests, Boston Police tweeted, “Please be advised there is no threat to the public.”

“Please be advised that there is not threat to public safety. Three additional suspects have been taken into custody in connection to the attack on the Boston Marathon. Aside from the aforementioned, there is no additional info to release at this time. Additional details will be provided when they become available,” Boston Police said in a statement.

The 19-year-old Tsarnaev is in fair condition at a federal medical center in Fort Devens. He is charged with use of a weapon of mass destruction. His older brother and fellow suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was killed during a gunfight with police April 19.

Three people were killed and about 260 others were injured when two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15.

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Investigators said that two bombs that tore through the crowd at the Boston Marathon finish line Monday may have been fashioned out of shrapnel-filled pressure cookers that were transported in black nylon backpacks.

Boston doctors treating the wounded told reporters today that several of the victims were maimed by what appeared to be pieces of plastic and metal. The fragments were removed during surgery, and turned over to authorities.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Richard DesLauriers, who is heading up the investigation, said the pressure cooker bombs may have also contained ball bearings and nails.

As of this evening, no one had taken responsibility for the bombings, and investigators had made no arrests in connection with the attack, which killed three people and injured more than 170. The explosions happened around 2:50 p.m. Monday near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, on Boylston Street.

Authorities said they had received more than 2,000 tips as of noon, many of which were reviewed by 5 p.m.

“The investigation in its infancy. We will thoroughly review each and every piece of evidence,” DesLaurier said, also pleading with the public to provide more information.

The FBI is looking for people who might have seen or heard suspicious activity, including someone carrying a dark, heavy bag near the site of the blasts before the explosions. DesLaurier asked people to inform investigators if they heard any noises similar to an explosion in the days before the attack, as they may indicate a practice blast, and also if anyone overheard discussions a possible attack on the Boston Marathon.

“The range of suspects and motives remains wide open. We’re asking for tips from anyone who may target the event,” he said.

Forensic experts are reconstructing the suspected explosive devices at an FBI lab in Virginia to determine its components. More information is expected during a media briefing this afternoon, but in the meantime DesLaurier asked the public to “remain alert.”

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined officials at the briefing this evening, commending civilians and emergency respondents for their assistance.

“We are Boston. We are one community and we will not let terror take us over,” he said.

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An 8-year-old boy killed in the attack on the Boston Marathon was being mourned Monday night in Dorchester, a neighborhood in Boston.

Martin Richard, 8, was killed in one of the two explosions that hit the finish line area of the marathon Monday afternoon. The child’s mother and sister were badly injured in the attack.

In a statement issued through a spokesman Tuesday, Martin’s father Bill Richard said, “My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries.

“We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin. We also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover. Thank you.”

Locals gathered at Dorchester’s Tavolo restaurant last night to grieve the loss.

City Councillor at Large Ayanna Presely told boston.com that the community was supporting the family: “They are beloved by this community. They contribute in many ways. That’s why you see this outpouring. It’s surreal, it’s tragic, it’s incomprehensible. Everyone here tonight is trying to comfort one another and be prayerful.”

Martin’s father Bill is reported to be a community leader in the Ashmont section of Dorchester. It is understood that a third child of the family was unhurt.

Early this morning the death toll from Monday’s atrocity was three, with as many as 170 people injured, at least 17 of them critically.

Walking toward the Boston Marathon finish line this afternoon was a strange and unsettling sight: a mix of oblivious runners who had not yet heard that twin explosions had detonated along Boylston Street, and those who witnessed the chaos but remained in the area, wandering around the littered streets.

“It happened after I crossed the finish line. I got water there was a big boom and everyone went, ‘Oh my God,’ and I turned around and there was a big black plume. A big ball of smoke and then another one,” said Jackie Fairbarren, a marathon runner from Wisconsin.

Fairbarren was visibly shaken as she clutched a heatsheet, which was wrapped loosely around her shoulders. She stood directly under a Family Meeting Area sign with tears and concern in her eyes.

“Everyone was … no one could figure out what was going on. I’m really worried about my kids. I’m waiting for them to find me. I was running faster (than them). My husband and my 15-year-old were at the spot where it went off. I’m waiting at the family area.”

Paul Horton, of Maryville, Tenn., said he crossed the finish line at 1:10 p.m., and had just stepped out of the shower at The Colonnade Boston Hotel when he heard the blasts.

“There were two booms, maybe 12 or 15 seconds apart, but pretty big blasts. I thought they were close to me but apparently it was a couple blocks down,” Horton said. “I heard all the sirens out front I thought maybe someone got hit by a car; six, eight, 10 ambulances went by the hotel. People were standing around everywhere on their phones. I have a buddy running, and tried to get to the finish line to catch him, but got turned away down there.”

A few blocks up, around 3:50 p.m., crowds of onlookers gathered near Copley Square to capture the chaos on their smartphones, despite orders from authorities to clear the area.

Onlookers take photographs of emergency vehicles at Copley Square shortly before a controlled blast. Credit: Morgan Rousseau/Metro

Within moments, a loud, deep boom bellowed through the area. Marathon officials yelled at pedestrians to run, and they did, in all different directions.

Boston Police later reported that a third blast was a controlled water canon.

At 4:30 p.m., Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis confirmed Monday’s explosions were an attack on the city, although they would not say whether it was being considered an act of terrorism.

“We’re not being definitive,” he said. “You can reach your own conclusions.”

Stay with Metro Boston as this story develops.

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The post UPDATE: Father of Boston Marathon victim Martin Richard, 8, speaks out appeared first on Metro.us.

At least 125 people were being treated at Boston hospitals Monday night, including more than a dozen who were critically hurt, after a pair of explosions near the Boston Marathon finish line.

Three people were killed, according to Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis. One of them was reportedly an eight-year-old boy.

Massachusetts General Hospital was treating 29 patients. Eight of them were in critical condition, including four who suffered “traumatic amputations of their legs,” according to Dr. Alasdir Conn, Chief of Emergency Services. 

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Conn described the other patients as mostly “the walking wounded,” although some are being monitored for possible internal injuries.

The hospital activated its emergency disaster plan, with all available staff called in and all elective surgeries cancelled.

Psychologists and social workers are available to assist patients and their families. Conn said people who were concerned that a loved one was hurt should contact the hospital’s main switchboard at 617-726-2000.

They included a two-year-old boy with a head injury who was in the medical/surgical intensive care unit and a nine-year-old girl with leg trauma who was in surgery.

Boston Medical Center was treating 23 patients, most with lower leg injuries, according to a statement. Seven were listed in fair condition and 16 in serious condition.

28 patients were taken to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, including two in critical condition and at least eight in serious condition. A hospital statement said nine people had surgery, among them two patients with “injuries that are potentially limb-threatening.”

Tufts Medical Center is currently treating nine patients from the explosion, and St. Elizabeth’s had 21 patients.

Police SWAT teams could be seen patrolling several Boston hospitals as a precaution. Investigators were examining victims’ clothing for possible evidence.

A Boston University student was among those critically hurt, according to a letter from BU President Robert Brown. The student’s identity was not made public.

Within the last few years, the MGH Emergency Department received training from Israeli authorities on how to deal with injuries from bomb blasts.

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About 500 runners gathered Sunday morning for what organizers called the first co-ed marathon held entirely in Central Park since 1975.

The marathon course essentially comprised five loops of the park, though it skipped the hilly northernmost section. A half-marathon with roughly 1,000 participants also took place Sunday.

“It was a huge success,” said David Alm, communications director for NYCRUNS, which put on the event and plans to do so again next year. “Our race is essentially a throwback to [the original New York City Marathon]. It appeals to a certain sensibility.”

The New York City Marathon stayed entirely within Central Park from 1970 to 1975, but since then has gone through all five boroughs. This past year, it was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.

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