A member of the FBI raises police tape near the Pulse nightclub on June 13 in Orlando, Fla. | Getty Orlando killer called Boston Marathon bombers his 'homeboys'

The terrorist who killed 49 people and injured 53 others inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday referred to the Boston Marathon bombers as his “homeboys” during a 911 call, the FBI said Monday.

Special-agent-in-charge Harold Shaw, of the Boston Division, said Omar Mateen made reference to the Tsarnaev brothers, who were responsible for the Boston Marathon attacks in 2013 that killed three people and injured more than 260 — but there's no evidence his boast was true.


“At this point in time, all evidence collected to date shows no connection between Mateen and the Tsarnaev brothers,” Shaw said in a statement.

Shaw added that the Boston and Tampa bureaus are in position to assist with the ongoing investigation into Sunday’s massacre, if necessary.

“As is standard practice in Boston, we are sharing real-time information and intelligence with our federal, state, local and community partners,” he said. “Currently, we have no specific, credible threats to our area as a result of the Orlando attack. As always, the FBI Boston Division will work with our law enforcement partners to gather, share and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to report any and all suspicious activity to law enforcement.”

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died within days of the Boston attack. According to an indictment, his brother ran him over, “seriously injuring him and contributing to his death” following a shootout with police. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger brother, was sentenced to death last summer.