In Boston Marathon Bombing Trial, a Search for Justice and Closure
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A court in Boston, Massachusetts is making final preparations for the trial ofsuspected bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. He is accused of terrorism and othercrimes in connection with the deadly
bombing at the Boston Marathon on April15, 2013. His older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was also suspected in theattack. He was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police four days later.
Court officials began questioning possible jurors on Monday. The juryselection process could take several weeks.
The Tsarnaevs are ethnic Chechens. The two brothers had lived with theirfamily near Boston for more than 10 years.
VOA reporters Fatima Tlisova and Mike Eckel investigated the lives
ofDzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
I’m Caty Weaver. Today, Jonathan Evans and I tell you what the reportersfound.
Some recent history
Both young men were considered loving and peaceful by the people aroundthem. Just weeks before the bombing, Tamerlan Tsarnaev,
his wife anddaughter visited another Chechen family in New Hampshire.
Madina and MusaKhadzhimuradov had fled Chechnya in the early 2000s.
They said that during the visit, Tamerlan seemed to enjoy playing with his
littlegirl.
Musa Khadzhimuradov told VOA:
“We didn’t talk about war or religion, nothing. He was happy. Maybe he had adouble life or something, but he was playing with his child.”
But legal documents and reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigationsuggest that he was plotting something destructive.
At least twice before April 15, Tamerlan had visited a Manchester firing range,
where people train to shoot guns. On March 20, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev joined hisbrother at the firing range.
Tamerlan had also traveled to the New Hampshire town of Seabrook to buyfireworks and gather gunpowder.
Investigators say he stopped at a storecalled Phantom Fireworks. They say he left with 48 mortars and
almost fourkilograms of low explosive powder.
Store employee April Walton spoke to VOA about Tamerlan’s visit. She saidhe asked her for the loudest, most powerful fireworks they sold.
The Grand Jury indictment says that Tamerlan went online around April 5, and ordered electronic parts that could be used to make bombs. The partsarrived at the Tsarnaev’s apartment home by mail.
Strange behavior noted at local mosque
In recent years, some members of the Tsarnaev family had begun talkingabout their religious beliefs. The leader of the mosque they attended told VOA of two strange incidents during prayer services. Imam Fenni said that inNovember of 2012 Tamerlan Tsarnaev stood up and interrupted a guestspeaker. The speaker was talking about the importance of Muslims in Americaaccepting
public holidays like Thanksgiving. Tamerlan angrily told thegathering that the speaker was wrong.
Imam Fenni said a similar incident took place in January of 2013. He saidTamerlan again angrily interrupted a guest speaker.
In January of 2012, Tamerlan had gone on a six-month-long trip to Russia’sNorth Caucasus area. He spent some of his time in Dagestan. The Russiannewspaper Novaya Gazeta reported that Tamerlan had been in contact withtwo wanted militants during the visit.
Novaya Gazeta reporter Irina Gordienko told VOA, “People in Dagestan toldme he dressed strangely, his behavior was unusual. He wasn’t veryknowledgeable about Islam.”
Back home in the United States, Tamerlan Tsarnaev held short-term jobs andtook a few college classes. He boxed for a while but his career in the sport didnot take off.
A close family friend said “He didn’t seem to know where he was going.”
The FBI questioned Tamerlan in 2011 at the request of Russian securityofficials. They had been watching his reported interactions with Chechenradical groups.
An FBI statement says the Russians reported that Tamerlan “was a followerof radical Islam.”
The youngest Tsarnaev
Friends and family say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev acted differently than his
olderbrother. Dzhokar was seen as intelligent but quiet. Friends say he
seemed tofollow Tamerlan’s lead.
Dzhokhar’s suspected involvement in the Boston Marathon bombing waseven more of a shock. Friends and people who know him say Dzhokharcaused
no concern to neighbors, friends, school, or law enforcement beforeApril 15, 2013.
A family friend said “Dzhokhar kept to himself, he was smart. He made hisown choices. He wasn’t the center of attention; he was always off to the side.”
In the months before the bombing, the Tsarnaev home was occupied only byTamerlan, his wife and their daughter. The parents of Tamerlan and Dzhokharwere both living in Russia. Dzohkhar
was attending school at University ofMassachusetts in Dartmouth.
A few signs of trouble
Investigators say there were suggestions that Dzhokhar was exploring
violentacts when he was a student at the University of Massachusetts. In the springof 2013, he reportedly downloaded to his computer several books anddocuments
that supported radical Islamist ideas.
One was an article called: “How to Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.”Pressure cookers were used in the Marathon bombing.
After his arrest, investigators entered Dzhokhar’s college dormitory room.They examined his computer and found a backpack containing fireworks that had been emptied of gunpowder.
The night of April 15, Dzhokhar sent a friend — the son of a Boston-areaChechen immigrant — a text message. It asked the friend if he was at themarathon and if he was OK.
A hunt for the suspects
On April