Friend of Tsarnaev Convicted to 3.5 Years for Obstructing Investigation

A Kazakh friend of convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced by a federal judge on Friday to 3.5 years in prison for obstructing investigation into the April 15, 2013 terror attack, US media reported.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — “Azamat Tazhayakov was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in collecting a backpack containing evidence from Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s dorm room at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and throwing it in the trash,” the Boston Globe reported on Friday.

Tazhayakov told the court he was regretful for his actions and he in no way supports terrorism.

The nearly two years the Kazakh has been in prison during the trial will be credited toward the 3.5-year prison term, the Boston Globe said.

On Tuesday, Dias Kadyrbayev, another Kazakh friend of Tsarnaev, was sentenced to six years in prison for a similar offense.