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Mystery Aircraft Circling Quincy Was Monitoring Matanov

QUINCY (CBS) – The arrest of Khairullozhon Matanov on charges of obstructing the investigation of the Boston Marathon bombings has ended a mystery in Quincy.

Residents had been questioning why there was an aircraft that made loops over the city at night.

From 2013: Mystery Aircraft Frightens Quincy Residents

At the time, the FAA would only say it knew about the authorized flight and it was not a drone.

WBZ has confirmed the aircraft was used to keep track of Matanov because he was a suspect connected to the bombings investigation.

Following the arrest of Matanov, 23, on Friday, two neighbors said Matanov was a cab driver who always said "hello" and "goodbye" when passing by in the apartment complex where he has lived for about a year-and-a-half.

However, two neighbors, Tyler Young, and a woman who declined to give her name, also noted that they saw police going in and out of the building a week after the bombings and throughout the past year. Plain clothes and uniformed officers would also remain outside and monitored the apartment.

"I only had suspicions just because of the police presence that were here," Young told WBZ-TV.

"About a week after the bombings, there was FBI here, Quincy Police. I've seen them in and out over the year and the last marathon, there was police here the entire day."

Although authorities were frequently seen speaking with Matanov, neighbors never connected him to the bombing suspects.
At 4:30 a.m. on Friday, those neighbors who talked to WBZ say they heard a commotion as police broke down the door of Matanov's apartment.

Leslie Aiello's apartment is directly above Matanov's. She heard and felt the wave of police as they arrested him before sunrise.

"I heard a man saying 'We have a warrant out for your arrest' and I heard three big bangs and I guess they were trying to get into his apartment to get him," she told WBZ. "Very scary. I'm still shaking, I can't stop shaking."

Matanov reportedly had a roommate who has not been identified.

The owner of Braintree Checker Cab confirmed to WBZ-TV that Matanov leased a cab from them for the last two to three years and never had a problem with him, but added that Matanov won't be working for him any more after Friday's arrest.

A Checker Cab was in the apartment complex parking lot Friday morning. Neighbors told WBZ-TV it is Matanov's taxi.

Some of the drivers who know Matanov said they referred to him as "K" because they could not pronounce his first name. They also said he was a nice student who was a hard worker interested in soccer.

One driver told WBZ-TV's Christina Hager he knew Matanov had played soccer with at least one of the Tsarnaev brothers.

"I couldn't believe he was involved in it. I'm sure he know some of the players, but I think people from that part of the world all know each other because the community around here is fairly small," the unidentified driver said.

"I don't know anybody here who didn't like him."

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