Abderrazak Razak

Abderrazak Razak testified for the defense on Day 53 about an encounter with Tamerlan Tsarnaev at Al-Bara, the Cambridge store where Razak worked. He recalled Tamerlan angrily objecting to a sign advertising halal turkeys for Thanksgiving in the fall of 2012.

During William W. Fick's direct examination, Razak described yelling, hand gestures toward the sign, and an angry expression. He explained halal slaughter and said the store supplied halal turkeys for Muslim customers celebrating Thanksgiving, distinguishing the holiday objection from the turkeys' preparation. Razak testified in English with interpreter assistance. He estimated seeing Tamerlan three to five times but expressed certainty about remembering the Thanksgiving encounter.

On cross-examination, William D. Weinreb narrowed the scope of that account. Razak acknowledged about four encounters with Tamerlan as a customer and said he neither knew him personally nor knew his name. He testified that he had never met Dzhokhar and had seen him only in the news after the bombing. Razak agreed that his account concerned Tamerlan saying Thanksgiving was not a Muslim holiday and objecting to turkey sales. The defense asked no further questions, and Razak was excused.