Rights group to sue FBI over death in Boston bombing investigation

A Florida civil rights group plans to sue the FBI for $30 million on behalf of the family of a Chechen man who was fatally shot while being questioned about a Boston Marathon bombing suspect.

The Council of American-Islamic Relations Florida (CAIR) on Monday filed a notice of claim stating its intention to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the FBI over the death of Ibragim Todashev, a friend of alleged Boston bombing co-conspirator Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who himself was killed in a shootout with police. 

Todashev, 27, a Muslim Chechen immigrant, was shot dead in an Orlando apartment in May 2013 during FBI questioning over his links with the Boston bombing suspects.

Thania Diaz Clevenger, civil rights director for CAIR Florida, said the group was "seeking answers and justice for someone who was shot seven times by an FBI agent in his own home after hours of interrogation."

The FBI said the agent fired after Todashev suddenly attacked and injured the agent during the interrogation. Investigators concluded the agent was justified in using deadly force.

CAIR accused the FBI of "careless hiring practices" involving FBI agent Aaron McFarlane, who fired the fatal bullets, as well as a lax internal review that cleared him in Todashev's death.

"During his time serving with the Oakland Police Department, he was involved in two police brutality lawsuits, four internal affairs investigations, regarding violently beating up suspects and witnesses and allegedly falsified police reports," CAIR said in a statement.

Regarding Todashev's death, CAIR said it was "troubled with allowing of agents to conduct potentially charged interviews in people's homes instead of in a secured environment."

Meanwhile, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was in court on Monday for a hearing over logistical matters before opening statements in his trial later this week.

Tsarnaev, 21, is accused of killing three people and injuring 264 with two homemade bombs in the largest mass-casualty attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001. He is also accused of fatally shooting a police officer.

Todashev's parents in Russia issued a statement through CAIR on Monday, saying "our son Ibragim Todashev was killed by the FBI in cold blood. Today, together with CAIR Florida, we are starting a process that will bring, as we hope, justice to our son, our family, and our world."

Wire services