Father Says Son Will Be Cleared In Boston Marathon Bombing Case
BOSTON (CBS) - Azamat Tazhayakov is accused of interfering with the Boston Marathon bombing investigation, but his father has faith he will be cleared.
Amir Ismagulov is a prominent politician in his native Kazakhstan and says his party platform is anti-terrorism. He told WBZ-TV that he raised all four of his children to respect life and says his son simply isn't capable of doing anything to hurt his adopted country.
The FBI says Azamat threw out crucial evidence that implicated his friend, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Azamat is being held in a Middleton jail, where his father visited him Wednesday. He will stay as long as his travel visa allows.
Amir spoke with WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong through a translator.
"I just asked him straight, 'Azamat, were u involved in any way with this event' and he told me that he wasn't and that he's innocent," Amir said.
One of the items Azamat is accused of throwing away is a backpack.
"My son didn't even know it was Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's bag until the 19th," Amir said.
After that, he says his son has cooperated fully with investigators.
"I wanted to address American people and ask them to make their judgment after the judgment is made by the court," said Amir. "I will assure the American people my son is no terrorist, not a radical Islamist and he loves America."
Amir says he trusts America's judicial system and does not think his son's arrest was a mistake. He is very confident they will find him innocent.
