Ibragim Todashev. Photo: Orange County Sheriff.

A friend of Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was shot dead by an FBI officer last night while preparing to sign a confession to playing a role in the gruesome slaying of three Jewish men back in 2011, according to investigators cited by NBC.

The Chechen man Ibragim Todashev, 27 was being interviewed by law enforcement officers in his Orlando, Florida condo when he is said to have turned violent, pulling a knife on an agent.

“The agent, two Massachusetts State Police troopers, and other law enforcement personnel were interviewing an individual in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing investigation when a violent confrontation was initiated by the individual,” the FBI said in a statement, adding that “During the confrontation, the individual was killed.” One official told ABC news that the FBI agent was stabbed several times, although the injuries sustained were not life threatening.

No suspects have been arrested in the unsolved murder of the three Jewish men, although In the wake of the Boston bombing, detectives developed DNA evidence linking bombing suspects Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother Dzhokhar to the triple murder scene.

The triple homicide took place on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The victims were found with their throats slit, and their bodies were covered in cash and marijuana.

One of those killed, Brendan Mess was said to be a close friend of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Another victim Raphael Teken was a graduate of the largely Jewish Brandeis University. The third, Erik Weissman was a devout Jew according to the Forward, and was a devoted member of his synagogue, according to Boston’s WCVB.

Watch a video report on the incident below.