Man Linked to Boston Bomb Suspects Shot to Death During FBI Questioning

A man with ties to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was shot and killed while being questioned by the FBI in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Ibragim Todashev, who was friends with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was shot at his apartment complex in Orlando, Florida.

It is thought that he was initially cooperative during the interview about his connections to the bombing suspects, then the shooting occurred when he went to attack an agent, NBC News reports.

The bureau wanted to speak with him ever since Tsarnaev was identified as a suspect in the bombing that killed three people and injured more than 260 others.

Special Agent Dave Couvertier said: "We are currently responding to a shooting incident involving an FBI special agent.

"The incident occurred in Orlando, Florida. The agent encountered the suspect while conducting official duties. We do not have any further details at this time. We expect to have more information later this morning."

Former FBI assistant director John Miller told CBS News: "He had been interviewed along with a number of other people in the apartment complex, but the interest in him was higher because of a couple of factors: He was in contact with Tamerlan Tsarnaev. He had been to Boston to visit him, and he was planning a trip to Chechnya."

He added that the FBI decided to interview him after he reportedly canceled the trip.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a shootout with police outside Boston in the days after the marathon bombings. His younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, remains in federal custody awaiting trial.