Who was Boston's naked man?

Police have not identified the 'Naked Man' - fuelling conspiracy theories. Source: news.com.au

IT'S one of the enduring mysteries of the chaos in Boston last week. Just who was the naked man law enforcement authorities paraded in front of the cameras?

After the shooting of a police officer at MIT and the high-speed chase through Watertown that followed, the Boston Police arrested and questioned a man and ordered him to strip. CNN broadcast footage of the nude man being escorted by police to a waiting wagon.

It was a riveting moment in the foggy TV coverage of the issue, where it (wrongly) seemed like there was resolution to the case.

But days later the naked man has yet to come forward, and the Watertown police department has not clarified the man's identity – fuelling conspiracy theories about the man's identity.

Several online conspiracy theorists claim the world is being hoodwinked by Boston law enforcement and that the naked man was one of the terrorists who caused the chaos, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

The claims, fuelled by an interview that aired on US television where Tsarnaev's aunt identified the naked man as "100 per cent" Tamerlan, were today rubbished by the Watertown police department.

Official accounts of the incident said Tamerlan died after a lengthy shootout with law enforcement agents. Doctors said Tsarnaev's body was riddled with massive penetrating injuries. He immediately went into cardiac arrest upon arrival at hospital and was later pronounced dead.

A man who was caught up in the case when the Tsarnaev brothers hijacked his SUV has yet to publicly speak about the case.

Law enforcement officials told The New York Times that this man was released, uninjured, at a gas station and he then called the police.

The Naked Man mystery continues. But he has become an object of a different kind of fascination, too. Author Michael Patrick said on Twitter he was "an inspiration to all of us to get back to the gym", adding that a similar situation could happen to you.