Tsarnaev friend killed in Orlando by FBI

Tsarnaev friend killed in Orlando: FBI agents swarmed the apartment of a Chechen man who as reportedly a friend of Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. An FBI agent fatally shot the man.

A man was fatally shot when a team of FBI agents swarmed an apartment complex near Universal Studios in Orlando.

The shooting happened early Wednesday.

The FBI did not immediately return a phone call early Wednesday from The Associated Press seeking details. The FBI has not released the name of the suspect who was shot or confirmed the possible connection to the Boston bombing suspects.

But a friend of the victim says that the FBI shot Ibragim Todashev, according to the Orlando Sentinel. He also says that Ibragim Todashev told him that the FBI was questioning him because he was friends with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older brother of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect in custody. Both Todashev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were mixed martial arts boxers.

A man claiming to be the suspect's friend told WFTV reporter Steve Barrett:

"He had a ticket from New York, [and] from there, he was going to go back home [to Chechnya]. They were pushing him, saying, 'Stay, don't leave.' They said, 'We want to interview you one last time and talk to you a last time.' And he decided to stay, and today's interview was supposed to be the last time, and they said they were going to leave him alone," said the victim's friend, Khusen Taramov.

An FBI spokesman told Orlando television stations that their agent was conducting official duties when the shooting occurred. No further details were released, but the agency says an update is expected later Wednesday.

Meanwhile, a judge has agreed to postpone a probable cause hearing for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler on Tuesday granted a joint request from prosecutors and defense attorneys to postpone the May 30 hearing until July 2. The lawyers say they need more time to obtain and review evidence, and cited complex legal issues in the case.

The bombings near the finish line of the marathon killed three people and injured more than 260. Tsarnaev is accused of carrying out the April 15 attack with his brother, Tamerlan, who died four days later following a shootout with police.

Prosecutors said last week that they needed more time to indict Tsarnaev than the 30-day period prescribed under federal law.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.