Ibragim Todashev

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ibragim Todashev
Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died22 May 2013(2013-05-22) (aged 27)
Orlando, Florida
, United States
Cause of deathGunshot
NationalityRussian

Ibragim Todashev (Ибрагим Тодашев; 22 September 1985 – 22 May 2013) was a Chechen-born former

State Attorney and the U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) announced they had concluded the agent had fired in self-defense and would not face criminal charges. According to the autopsy report, Todashev was shot seven times and there was no evidence of the shots having been fired from close range.

Life

Ibragim Todashev was born on September 22, 1985, in the

Chechen-Ingush capital Grozny during the Soviet era, as the eldest of 12 children of Abdulbaki (or Abdul-Baki) Todashev and his two wives.[2] During the 1990s, his family fled war-torn Chechnya to Russia's Saratov Oblast. They lived there until around 2006 before moving back to Grozny, where his father became a high-ranking pro-Moscow official in the city administration in 2008.[3]

Todashev moved to the U.S. to study

permanent residence in March 2013.[3][4] His father said his son had no reason to fear "oppression" back home as "he was too young to fight in the war [in Chechnya], and he has nothing to fear here now" from the authorities.[5] He said: "Out of fear of the lawlessness in Chechnya, I sent him to the U.S. because it seemed like the safest country at the time."[6]

In the United States, Todashev married an

Armenian American, Reni Manukyan, who said she met him in 2010 through a mutual friend in Boston; Manukyan separated from Todashev in November 2012, but they had kept in regular contact with each other, and she was still supporting him with money.[7] Todashev was an amateur boxer before turning to mixed martial arts (MMA) in the United States, but he quit his professional MMA career due to a serious knee injury. His father said that after that, his son had held various jobs in the Boston area before eventually moving to Florida.[6]

His father said in an interview for Russia Today that his son was a "very calm" person who would never hurt anyone.[7] Todashev's former MMA training partner, however, described him as a gifted athlete but also a "hothead".[8] In 2010, the Boston Police Department detained Todashev for a violent road rage incident in Downtown Crossing; the police report states that the officers "witnessed several people struggling to restrain a white male, later determined to be the subject, Ibragim Todashev. Officers heard Todashev yell, 'You say something about my mother, I will kill you!' Officers struggled to physically restrain and handcuff Todashev."[9] On May 4, 2013, shortly before his death, he was also briefly arrested by the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orange County, Florida, after he got into a fight with two strangers during a dispute over a parking space at an outlet mall, knocking one of them unconscious and then leaving the scene (the man, who was hospitalized with serious head injuries but did not press charges,[2] later said he was shocked "how accurate and quick his punches were" and "thought he was wearing brass knuckles, but it was just his fist").[8] The responding sheriff's deputy chased down Todashev's car, ordered him out at gunpoint and arrested him; the affidavit states that "Todashev said he was only fighting to protect his knee because he had surgery in March."[10]

At the time of the shooting that killed him, Todashev was free on $3,500 bail for the Orange County incident, facing charges of

aggravated battery.[9][11][12] While his girlfriend had been ordered to return to Russia by an immigration judge, federal immigration officials granted her permission to stay in the United States for another year and released her from detention in August.[13] After speaking to reporter Susan Zalkind about Todashev's death and relationship with the FBI, she was arrested and deported to Russia in October 2013.[11] Todashev's friend who was also a housemate, Ashurmamad Miraliev, briefly charged in an unrelated case, was ordered to leave the country and left soon afterwards.[14][15]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
2 matches 1 win 1 loss
By knockout 0 1
By submission 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 1–1 Bradford May Submission (guillotine choke) RFC 27: Showtime July 27, 2012 1 2:29 Tampa, Florida, United States [16]
Loss 0–1 Jimmy Davidson TKO (referee stoppage) AFO - Thanksgiving Massacre 2 November 25, 2009 3 2:49 Quincy, Massachusetts, United States [17]

2011 Waltham triple murder

Main article: 2011 Waltham triple murder

A triple murder was committed in Waltham, Massachusetts, on the evening of September 11, 2011.[18][19] Three men, Brendan Mess, Erik Weissman, and Raphael Teken, were murdered in Mess's apartment. All had their throats slit from ear to ear, with such great force that they were nearly decapitated. Illegal marijuana worth thousands of dollars was left covering their bodies, and $5,000 was left at the scene. The local district attorney said that it appeared that the killer and the victims knew each other, and that the murders were not random.

Boston Marathon bombings, had once introduced murder victim Brendan Mess as his best friend.[18] After the bombings and subsequent revelations of Tsarnaev's personal life, the Waltham murders case was reexamined in April 2013 with Tsarnaev as a new suspect.[6]
Todashev's friendship with Tsarnaev then led to him being questioned for potential connection with the murders and other actions involving Tsarnaev.

In March 2024, journalist and author Susan Clare Zalkind released a book about the case, The Waltham Murders: One Woman’s Pursuit to Expose the Truth Behind a Murder and a National Tragedy.[20]

Todashev's questioning and death

On the afternoon of May 22, 2013, law enforcement officers, including FBI special agent Aaron McFarlane from the Boston field office and two Massachusetts State Police (MSP) troopers, Curtis Cinelli and Joel Gagne, arrived at Ibragim Todashev's apartment in Orlando, Florida, and interviewed Todashev for approximately eight hours in his living room.[21] NPR reporter Susan Zalkind stated that Todashev's friend Khusen Taramov waited outside Todashev's apartment during the interrogation, and was told to leave an hour before Todashev was shot.[11] According to Todashev's father, Abdulbaki, the questioning took place two days before his scheduled flight to Russia; Abdulbaki's American attorney Eric Ludin said Ibragim Todashev had undergone multiple prior interrogations in Florida and was promised this would be the last one, and had canceled a planned trip to Chechnya earlier in May on the advice of the FBI.[22][23] Todashev was questioned by the FBI agent regarding the 2011 Waltham murders and his connections to the Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev;[4][24] both Todashev and Tsarnaev had trained at the Wai Kru MMA Gym and lived close to each other in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[7] The investigators later said that Todashev implicated both himself and Tamerlan Tsarnaev in the murders during the questioning soon after midnight. They reported that Todashev was beginning to write a formal statement when he asked to take a break, and then suddenly attacked the agent.[4][24] Todashev was shot multiple times and killed.[4][25][26]

Officials initially claimed that Todashev picked up a knife or attempted to grab a samurai sword from the wall, but later said that it was unclear whether this was the case; one source said it was "a knife or a pipe or something". A number of later reports said that he was unarmed.[25][26][27][28] Some earlier accounts implied that the FBI agent was alone with Todashev at the time of the shooting.

John Miller said[31]
that an MSP trooper

"noticed that Todashev was getting more and more agitated. Rather than alert the agent and tip off Todashev that they sensed something was about to happen, [the trooper] texted the agent and [wrote], 'Be careful, I think this guy is becoming more agitated'. As the agent looked down at that text, that's when the table went over, Todashev came over the table and picked up apparently a metal broom handle or some object like that [...] and charged the agent. The agent [w]as knocked back, came up with his gun, fired two or three times. Todashev came back at him and he fired more times."

In June 2013, authorities said that the agent had fired six times.[31]

A police report stated that the FBI confiscated "some kind of stick" along with a computer and some other items.[23] The FBI established a post-shooting incident-review team to investigate the shooting.[24]

Todashev's body was flown to Russia on June 20 by his American widow and his father;[citation needed] he was buried in a Muslim cemetery in Grozny on June 29.[32] On July 16, the release of Todashev's autopsy report, completed by a Florida medical examiner's office, was blocked by the FBI because the "case was still under active investigation".[33]

Calls for investigation and allegations of civil rights violations and excessive use of force

On May 29, 2013, the FBI confirmed that Todashev was unarmed and not grabbing a

samurai sword as some earlier reports had said,[34] while saying: "The FBI takes very seriously any shooting incidents involving our agents, and as such, we have an effective, time-tested process for addressing them internally. The review process is thorough and objective and conducted as expeditiously as possible under the circumstances."[35]

On the same day, the

civil rights.[34]

On May 30,

conspiracy theories by releasing too little information or investigating too slowly."[37]

On June 4, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called for an independent investigation into the shooting.[38] Michael German, a former FBI agent and ACLU's counsel on national security, immigration and privacy,[39] said: "What became concerning is that different stories... were coming out. They need to correct the record—both for the protection of the people in the community and for the protection of the law enforcement officers."[35][38]

A DOJ spokesman said that they would determine whether an investigation by the DOJ Civil Rights Division was warranted.[40] In early August, the DOJ finished a preliminary probe into Todashev's death.[41] Executive director of CAIR-Florida Hassan Shibly said: "It was the FBI agent who shot all of the bullets. If this were a survival shooting, typically all of the officers will draw their weapons,"[42] adding that "sympathetic" federal sources within the DOJ and FBI assured CAIR that Todashev was unarmed.[22]

On August 1, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement declined the request to conduct its own investigation, saying it would be inappropriate for a state agency to intervene.[43] The ACLU executive director Howard Simon said: "The FBI has offered completely incompatible explanations, they have failed to explain how these inconsistent stories found their way into newspaper accounts of the shooting, and have not offered any clarifying comment about what really happened."[23] On August 10, Florida's top prosecutor, State Attorney Jeffrey L. Ashton, announced that he had changed his mind and decided to launch an independent review of the shooting;[13] Ashton said there was no timetable as to when he would complete his review and there would be no further public comment about the matter until it was completed.[44]

Reports after the shooting noted that Aaron McFarlane, the agent who killed Todashev, had been the subject of two police-brutality lawsuits and four internal-affairs investigations while at the

Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination at a police corruption trial.[45][46][47] McFarlane had retired from the Oakland police in 2004, claiming medical disability, before joining the FBI in 2008, and had continued to receive medical disability payments.[47] After the shooting, Oakland officials launched a probe into the payments.[47]

Criticism from Russia

When the

Russian embassy in Washington, DC, learned of Todashev's shooting, it asked the U.S. government for the relevant documentation, including the autopsy report as well as information about the firearms used in the incident. The autopsy report has remained sealed, and an FBI spokesman said that no documents relating to the case would be provided to Russia until the FBI completes its own investigation.[38] The FBI's refusal to provide details on the shooting contrasts sharply with previous shootings involving its agents.[48]

The shooting was condemned by the Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, who said that Ibragim Todashev was a "good boy" and his father Abdulbaki, who works in Kadyrov's government as a department head in the mayor's office in Grozny, is a "decent and educated person".[49] According to Reuters, Abdulbaki Todashev and Kadyrov were said to be on close terms.[2] Kadyrov said "the guy [Ibragim Todashev] was killed for no reason" and "without justification" in "reprisal by special services".[50][51] Kadyrov's press office also released a statement of him claiming that Ibragim Todashev wanted to go home because of "the harassment of Chechens in America" and criticizing the alleged "double standards" of the White House in regards to murder and terrorism.[52]

On May 30, at a press conference in Moscow, Todashev's father, Abdulbaki, who had previously stated that he believes his son was tortured before he died,

Maxim Shevchenko, a prominent Russian state journalist and member of Vladimir Putin's presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights who conducted the conference, the photographs were taken at a Muslim mortuary by Ibragim Todashev's friend Khusen Taramov, who has spoken to the press about being earlier interviewed by the FBI along with Todashev.[27][54] On June 25, Abdulbaki Todashev said he plans to sue the U.S. authorities over what he described as the "extrajudicial execution" of his son.[citation needed] On August 5, he arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa with this intent. Todashev claimed not receiving assistance from Kadyrov and the Russian state (besides some moral support), but is being supported by his son's estranged widow as well as CAIR and the Florida ACLU.[23]

Russian state news agency

ITAR-TASS writer Ivan Sukhov commented that "the criminal side of the story with Todashev is ignored in Russia" but "there is a high probability that the triple murder, of which Ibragim Todashev is suspected, will be confirmed – and then even the fact that his father works at a Russian municipal agency will not be seen as an extenuating circumstance for those who are now trying to publicly defend him and who proceed from the fact that Americans are enemies even if you live among them."[55]

Release of autopsy report, closure of the case, and aftermath

On March 25, 2014, the autopsy report was released and the Florida State Attorney and the DOJ both announced they had concluded the agent had fired in self-defense and decided they would not bring criminal charges against him.[56] According to the autopsy report, Todashev had been shot seven times and there was no evidence of the shots having been fired from close range.[56][57]

The blood-stained clothing and some other belongings of Todashev that had been taken as evidence were returned to the family in 2022, nine years after he was killed. The family had not previously had access to the materials. Todashev's father Abdulbaki Todashev came from Russia to Florida to collect the items and repeated his allegations of FBI misconduct, calling for further investigation. Hassan Shibly, the attorney for Abdulbaki Todashev, said "The killing of Ibragim and subsequent lack of accountability for law enforcement perfectly reflects everything that is wrong with the culture of police brutality in America. Ibragim Todashev was unarmed when he was killed in cold blood by FBI agent Aaron McFarlane. McFarlane had no business being an FBI agent in the first place."[58]

References

  1. ^ Ackerman, Spencer (March 24, 2014). "Report to shed light on what really took place when FBI shot Ibragim Todashev". The Guardian.
  2. ^ a b c d "Father of Chechen shot by FBI says he thinks son was tortured". Reuters. May 23, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Father of Chechen Shot by the FBI Says Authorities Lying | News". The Moscow Times. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Wesley Lowery, David Filipov and Mark Arsenault (May 23, 2013). "Slain suspect had thought about missing FBI interview". The Boston Globe.
  5. ^ Kevin Cullen. "Father of man killed by FBI agents in Orlando, Fla. says his son was not capable of attacking police". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c "Abdul-Baki Todashev, Dad Of Man Shot By FBI In Boston Probe, Shares Regrets". HuffPost. May 23, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Kamp, Jon; Levitz, Jennifer; Sonne, Paul (May 23, 2013). "After Murder Suspect's Death, Probe Is Decried, Defended". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Ibragim Todashev killing: FBI shooting-review team from D.C. in Orlando for Ibragim Todashev killing". Orlando Sentinel. May 23, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Slain Russian Ibragim Todashev 'intimidated' former neighbors". Boston Herald. May 23, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  10. ^ "Official: Dead Boston bombings suspect involved in 2011 slayings". CNN. May 23, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  11. ^
    National Public Radio
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  12. ^ "FBI agent shoot and kills Orlando man with ties to Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev – Metro". The Boston Globe. May 22, 2013. Archived from the original on July 3, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  13. ^ a b "State attorney to investigate Todashev case; roommate mysteriously freed from immigration jail – Metro". The Boston Globe. August 10, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  14. ^ Jacobson, Susan (September 21, 2013). "Friend of man shot during interrogation in Boston Marathon bombing is arrested". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  15. ^ "Results of Todashev shooting probe expected early next year". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013.
  16. ^ Ibragim Todashev's Sherdog profile
  17. ^ AFO MMA-Core Thanksgiving Massacre
  18. ^ a b Rezendes, Michael. "Police probe possible link between Marathon bomber and unsolved triple homicide in Waltham". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  19. ^ "Boston Bombing Brings Twist to Cold Murder Case". ABC News. April 29, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2013.
  20. ^ Juul, Matt (March 21, 2024). "12 years, a docuseries, and one book later, author still looking for answers on 2011 Waltham triple murder - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Sacchetti, Mari, "Ibragim Todashev shooter had stormy record as officer Archived June 19, 2017, at the Wayback Machine", The Boston Globe, May 14, 2014; 9th Judicial Circuit, "SA Investigation into death of Ibragim Todashev Archived May 31, 2014, at the Wayback Machine"
  22. ^ a b "Ibragim Todashev's dad calls son killed by FBI in Orlando 'conscientious and responsible'". Orlando Sentinel. August 13, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  23. ^ a b c d Shuster, Simon (August 5, 2013). "Father of Slain Chechen Plans to Sue FBI for Son's Wrongful Death". Time. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  24. ^ a b c Schmidt, Michael S.; Rashbaum, William K.; Oppel, Jr., Richard A. (May 22, 2013). "Deadly End to FBI Queries on Tsarnaev and a Triple Killing". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  25. ^ a b Thomas, Pierre (May 29, 2013). "Man Linked to Boston Bombing Suspect was Unarmed When Shot in Violent Encounter With FBI". ABC News. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  26. ^ a b c Friedersdorf, Conor (May 30, 2013). "Why did the FBI Kill an Unarmed Man and Clam up?". The Atlantic. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  27. ^ a b Englund, Will (May 30, 2013). "Father of Chechen Killed in Florida Says FBI Murdered Him". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  28. ^ Horwitz, Sari; Finn, Peter (May 29, 2013). "Officials: Man Who Knew Boston Bombing Suspect Was Unarmed when Shot". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  29. ^ "FBI Blocks Release of Todashev Autopsy". Ria Novosti. July 17, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  30. ^ a b Schmidt, Michael S.; Ellen Barry (May 30, 2013). "Man Tied to Boston Suspect Is Said to Have Attacked Agent Before Being Shot". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  31. ^ a b "FBI reviewing Todashev shooting amid family's accusations". CBS News. May 31, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.[dead link]
  32. ^ "Chechen Killed By FBI In Tsarnaev Questioning Buried In Grozny". Rferl.org. June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  33. ^ Sacchetti, Maria (July 16, 2013). "FBI bars Fla. from releasing Todashev autopsy". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  34. ^ a b Johnsson, Patrik (May 30, 2013). "Tsarnaev friend unarmed when killed, FBI admits. Were civil rights violated?". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  35. ^ a b Sullivan, Jerriann (June 5, 2013). "ACLU calls for probe of FBI's fatal shooting of Ibragim Todashev in Orlando". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  36. ^ Curtis, Henry Pierson; Amy Pavuk (May 30, 2013). "Islamic group: Slain man was unarmed, shot by FBI agent 7 times". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  37. ^ Editorial Board (May 30, 2013). "Answers needed in death of Tamerlan Tsarnaev acquaintance". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  38. ^ a b c Lowery, Wesley (June 4, 2013). "ACLU: Ibragim Todashev shooting in Orlando should be subject to independent probe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 6, 2013.[dead link]
  39. ACLU
    . October 5, 2006. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  40. ^ Sullivan, Jerriann (June 6, 2013). "DOJ: We will decide if probe is needed in FBI shooting case". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  41. ^ Schneider, Mike (August 14, 2009). "Orlando, Fla.: DOJ finishes preliminary probe in Todashev death – Florida Wires". Miami Herald. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  42. ^ "Chechen man Ibragim Todashev shot by FBI would have struggled to attack officers, lawyers say". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  43. ^ "Florida won't investigate Ibragim Todashev shooting". The Guardian. August 7, 2013.
  44. ^ "State Attorney Jeff Ashton to review DOJ investigation in Todashev death". Cfnews13.com. August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.[permanent dead link]
  45. ^ Sachetti, Maria (May 14, 2014). "Ibragim Todashev shooter had stormy record as officer". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  46. ^ Luscombe, Richard (May 14, 2014). "FBI agent cleared in killing of Boston suspect's friend had controversial past". The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2014.
  47. ^ a b c Lee, Henry K.; Kane, Will (May 24, 2014). "Oakland probes disability pay of ex-cop who's now FBI agent". SFGate.
  48. ^ Sacchetti, Maria (June 6, 2013). "FBI tight-lipped on Todashev killing". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  49. ^ "Chechen Leader Slams Killing of Tsarnaev Affiliate | Russia". RIA Novosti. May 27, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  50. ^ "Kadyrov Slams FBI For Killing Man Linked To Boston Bomber". RFE/RL. May 27, 2013. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  51. ^ "Kadyrov says Chechen native Ibragim Todashev slain in U.S. as reprisal by special services". Interfax News Wire. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  52. ^ (in Russian) Р. Кадыров: «Тодашев говорил отцу, что хочет вернуться домой, потому что в Америке начали притеснять чеченцев» Archived December 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Chechnya.gov.ru.
  53. ^ Richard Luscombe in Miami and agencies (May 30, 2013). "Ibragim Todashev's father: FBI 'bandits' murdered my son | World news". guardian.co.uk. London. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  54. ^ Loyko, Sergei L. (May 30, 2013). "Father of Tsarnaev friend slain by FBI says his son was 'executed'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  55. ^ "Victim villains: aftermath of the Boston terrorist attack as a common sense test". ITAR-TASS. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  56. ^ a b Ferran, Lee (March 25, 2014). "Autopsy: FBI Shot Ibragim Todashev 7 Times". ABC News.
  57. ^ Utz, Gary Lee (July 8, 2013). "Report of Autopsy – Decedent: Ibragim Todashev; Case number: 2013-000623" (PDF). District Nine Medical Examiner's Office – via ABC News.
  58. ^ Shibly Law (May 19, 2022). "Breaking: Thursday 1pm Tampa Press Conference With Father of Man Killed by FBI" (Press release).

Further reading

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