Monday, April 29, 2013

FBI agents search Rhode Island home of Boston bomber's widow


FBI agents search Rhode Island home of Boston bomber's widow and 'take sample of her DNA after that of a woman is found on one of the devices'

  • Agents investigating the Boston Marathon bombings searched the home of Katherine Russell's parents today
  • Reportedly collected a DNA sample to compare to evidence found on one of the bombs
  • Russell has been living with her parents at the Rhode Island home since her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a gun battle with police
  • Her attorneys previously said she and her family were in shock when they heard the allegations against Tsarnaev and his brother Dzhokhar
  • No one has yet claimed Tsarnaev's body
FBI agents have today visited the Rhode Island home of Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife Katherine Russell reportedly to take a sample of her DNA after traces of a woman were found on one of the bombs used in the Boston Marathon attacks.

Spokesman Jason Pack confirmed that agents investigating the Boston bombings visited the North Kingstown home of Russell's parents, where Tsarnaev's widow has been staying since the attacks.

According to The Wall Street Journal, agents went to the house today to collect a DNA sample from Russell in a bid to rule out her involvement in the bombings.

An official close to the case told the newspaper that female DNA has been found on at least one of the bombs used in the Boston Marathon attacks. Though investigators haven't determined whose DNA it is or whether the DNA means a woman helped the two suspects carry out the bombings.
Search: Russell and her attorneys left out of a different door after the FBI, pictured, had gone
Search: Russell and her attorneys left out of a different door after the FBI, pictured, had gone
Evidence: Agents emerged from the house with several bags of evidence, pictured
Evidence: Agents emerged from the house with several bags of evidence, pictured

Pack said the FBI visited the house as part of its investigation into the April 15 blasts, which killed three people and injured hundreds more. 

'The FBI is there as part of our ongoing investigation, but we aren't permitted to discuss specific aspects of our case,' the agency said in a statement.

After agents left the home, Russell left with her attorneys through a separate door. She was later photographed smiling as she left a Providence law center with her attorney.

Her attorneys have previously said she and her family were in shock when they learned of the allegations against her husband and brother-in-law, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a gun battle with police while surviving suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction.

No one has yet come to claim Tsarnaev's body, which is in the custody of the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, said Department of Public Safety spokesman Terrel Harris. 

The medical officer has determined a cause of death, but won't release the information until the body has been claimed, Harris told The Boston Globe.
Smiling: Katherine Russell, right and left, smiles as she leaves the law office of DeLuca and Weizenbaum on Monday, after the FBI searched her home
Smiling: Katherine Russell, right and left, smiles as she leaves the law office of DeLuca and Weizenbaum on Monday, after the FBI searched her home
Smiling: Katherine Russell, right and left, smiles as she leaves the law office of DeLuca and Weizenbaum on Monday, after the FBI searched her home


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316799/Katherine-Russell-FBI-agents-search-Rhode-Island-home-Boston-bombers-widow-sample-DNA-woman-devices.html#ixzz2RucTR0nz
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