AMU Homeland Security

The 2013 Boston Bombings

Elena Mastors, Counter Terrorist Magazine & Dean of Doctoral Studies at American Military University
Special to In Homeland Security

At approximately 2:49 pm on April 15th, two explosions occurred near the Boston Marathon finish line. Some runners had already crossed the finish line.[i] The first explosion took place in front of 671 Boylston Street and the second in front of 755 Boylston Street, about a block away and approximately ten seconds later. The devices were placed in front of the metal barriers used to separate runners and spectators. Three people were killed, and reportedly between 140 and over 200 were injured. Investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Boston Police Department, and other members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), moved quickly to examine video footage from cameras in the areas of the attacks and follow investigative leads.

Suspects Identified

According to the FBI criminal complaint filed in the US District Court of Massachusetts, footage captured from video surveillance identified two suspect young men carrying backpacks turning onto Boylston Street from Gloucester Street and then walking toward the marathon finish. Further video footage and photographs revealed their presence in the area heading toward the scene of the bombings. They wore baseball caps and backpacks.[ii]   The two men were finally identified as brothers Tamerlan Tsarnaev, age 26, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, age 19.

The Pursuit

On the evening of April 18th, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) police officer Sean Collier was shot multiple times while sitting in his police cruiser on the university campus.   Collier died of his injuries. Police suspected and confirmed involvement of the two brothers in the shooting.[iii] Police surmise that the brothers were trying to steal Collier’s gun, but could not figure out how to get the gun out of the holster (which had a retention system) before departing the scene.[iv]

The following day in the early morning, the brothers kidnapped a driver at gunpoint in Boston, commandeering his SUV.  The driver heard them say they were responsible for the bombings. They drove to an ATM and withdrew cash using the hostage’s bank card.  They then stopped for gas in Cambridge. At the station, the hostage escaped while Tamerlan was distracted operating a GPS.[v]

According to Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau, police tracked the hostage’s cell phone and initiated pursuit.  The brothers were then driving separate cars, one of which was the stolen SUV.  On Laurel Street in Watertown, one officer arrived behind them and the two reportedly emerged from their cars and opened fire on him.  The officer maneuvered his vehicle to expand the gap between himself and the bombers and waited for back-up.[vi]  Other officers arrived at the scene. Reportedly over 200 rounds of ammo were expended during a 5-10 minute gun battle in which the brothers also threw explosive devices described by police as a pressure cooker bomb and four homemade grenade-like devices.[vii]  The pressure cooker bomb exploded, but the others did not.[viii]  Tamerlan advanced toward the police, firing his weapon, and ran dry.  He was tackled by a police officer.  Dzhokhar then got back into the SUV and lunged forward, reportedly running over his brother and dragging him a short distance.[ix]

Police recovered a 9×19 mm Ruger used by Tamerlan at the scene.[x]  According to Tamerlan’s death certificate, he “died of gunshot wounds of torso and extremities,” from his shootout with police, and from blunt trauma to his head and torso. The latter he apparently sustained when his brother allegedly ran him over while fleeing in the SUV.[xi]

During this time, police requested citizens “shelter in place.” A manhunt was undertaken for Dzhokhtar, who abandoned the SUV a few streets away from the scene, and was presumed to be on foot.

A Watertown citizen reported that he noticed the cover of his boat was not on correctly and that he saw blood on the floor.  Police arrived and could see the form of a person they believed to be Dzokhtar sticking out from under the tarp.   They used flash-bang grenades to stun the suspect and engaged in 20-30 minutes of negotiations.[xii] A state police helicopter with thermal imaging was utilized, as was an armored vehicle with an arm, which peeled back the tarp, revealing the suspect.[xiii]  The subject stood up and lifted his shirt for the officers, demonstrating he was not armed.[xiv] Police approached the boat and took the suspect into custody.  They confirmed it was Dzokhtar by several forms of identification they found in his pockets.[xv]

Gunfire in the Dzokhtar apprehension has not yet been fully explained, and media reports regarding apprehended weapons at the scene conflict.  A note was found scrawled on the wall, presumably from Dzhokhtar, stating that US actions in Afghanistan and Iraq were the reason for the bombing.[xvi]

Dzhokhtar was wounded, having “apparent gunshot wounds to the head, neck, legs and hand.”[xvii]  He was first taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for his injuries and then transferred to the Federal Medical Center Devens.

Background

The two brothers are Muslim ethnic Chechens, who were born in Kyrgyzstan and also lived in Dagestan. Dagestan is one of the Caucuses Republics in Russia, situated on the Caspian Sea and adjacent to Chechnya. Dzhokhtar emigrated to Cambridge, Massachusetts with his parents, Zubidat and Anzor Tsarnaev, in 2002, and Tamerlan arrived in 2004.[xviii]  Their two sisters also came to live in the United States.  Anzor Tsarnaev opened an auto shop. The family received welfare benefits in the form of food stamps and section 8 housing from 2002-2012, totaling more than $100,000.[xix] Tamerlan, his wife, and daughter received public assistance until last year.[xx]

Tamerlan, an amateur boxer, attended the Bunker Hill Community College, but left to pursue boxing. He stopped boxing in 2011 and was married to Katherine Russell in 2010. Tamerlan was not employed and stayed at home with the couple’s young child.  He once told a photographer, “I don’t have a single American friend” and “I don’t understand them.”[xxi] His YouTube channel paid homage to videos supporting Islamic extremism and jihad. [xxii]   These include a rant by Feiz Muhammad, an Australian cleric and ex-boxer based in Malaysia. In one video the cleric talks about evil ‘paganism’ in the Harry Potter movies. Another video provides a dramatization of the Armageddon prophecy of the Black Banners of Khurasan, an all-powerful Islamic military force that will rise up from Central Asia and defeat the infidels; it is a martial-religious prophecy favored by al Qaeda.”[xxiii] It was speculated that he was radicalized while in Dagestan in 2012. Reports from friends and family indicate he demonstrated radicalized beliefs before this trip, however.

Dzhokhtar went to Cambridge Ridge and Latin school. He was a student at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and took the US citizen oath on September 11, 2012.[xxiv] He did not appear radicalized to those around him. In fact, he was depicted by those who knew him as a normal 19-year old who spent time with his friends.[xxv]  After the attacks, he is reported to have gone to the gym and “hung out” with his friends. It appears, however, that he was influenced by his older brother. He posted links to sites for Chechen independence in Russian on a social networking site.[xxvi]

The brothers’ parents divorced in 2011 and then subsequently reunited, and currently reside in Dagestan, Russia. His mother left the United States while facing charges for shoplifting at a Lord & Taylor store.[xxvii]

The IEDs

The devices used in the bombings were hidden in backpacks and placed near the finish line. The bombs were made from pressure cookers. Both devices contained nails, one contained BBs also. The explosives were nitrate and perchlorate-based oxidizers, such as are found in commercial fireworks.[xxviii] It was determined that Tamerlan bought fireworks in New Hampshire in February.[xxix] Empty fireworks were also found in Dzhokhtar’s dorm room.[xxx] The fuses were hobby fuses and the detonators were radio control units from remote control cars. [xxxi]   Investigators found explosive residue in Tamerlan’s apartment, suggesting that the bombs may have been built there.[xxxii]   The pressure cooker bombs were similar to what al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula suggested in its Inspire magazine article, “How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.” Inspire was originated by two American members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Anwar al-Alwlaki and Samir Khan. Further, according to a report by the Terrorist Explosive Analytical Center, one of the bombs thrown at police in Watertown used an elbow pipe wrapped in black tape, as discussed in Inspire.[xxxiii]

Investigators also found female DNA on one of the bombs.  The DNA from Tamerlan’s wife was tested, but reportedly did not match. It is not known whether this DNA is tied to an accomplice, a person that handled the materials, or from one of the victims of the bombings.[xxxiv]

More Evidence Obtained

On April 21, the FBI searched Dzhokhar’s dorm room. There they found BBs, a large pyrotechnic, a black jacket and white hat, which appeared similar to those worn by one of the suspects identified in the video footage the day of the race.[xxxv]  FBI Investigators questioned Dzhokhar in the hospital and he reportedly confirmed that he and Tamerlan followed the bomb making instructions in Inspire magazine. He stated they were upset about Afghanistan and Iraq.[xxxvi]  He also said they planned to travel to New York City and bomb Times Square.[xxxvii] Furthermore, he disclosed that the Boston Marathon was a target of opportunity. He and his brother were due to set off the bombs on July 4th, but they completed construction of the bombs in his brother’s apartment early. [xxxviii]

After approximately sixteen hours of questioning, in an unusual turn of events, a magistrate judge and member of the US attorney’s office came to his hospital room and read Dzhokhtar his rights.[xxxix] Subsequently, he purportedly stopped cooperating with investigators and no further information was obtained.

Investigators were also looking into Tamerlan’s connection to a Canadian Islamic convert and jihadist William Plontikov, who was killed by Russian forces in Dagestan in July 2012. Immediately after Plontikov’s death, Tamerlan left the region and travelled back to the United States. [xl] According to Russian press reporting, Tamerlan was first flagged by Russian law enforcement agencies due to his connection to Plontikov. Reports also revealed that Tamerlan met several times with Mahmud Mansur Nidal, another jihadist.[xli]

Dzhokhar’s college friends, Azmat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev, both Kazakh nationals in the United States on student visas, were interviewed. They were initially arrested on immigration violations on April 20.[xlii]  The friends indicated that it wasn’t until they saw the photos in the news that they determined Dzhokhar was involved. This prompted them to go to his dorm room on April 15th with Robel Phillipos, another friend, and get Dzhokhar’s laptop and backpack containing empty fireworks, and then dump the articles in the garbage.[xliii] According to the criminal complaint filed in the US District Court of Massachusetts, Kadyrbayev and Tazhayakov “intentionally obstructed justice in connection with the Marathon bombing investigation.”[xliv] As of this writing, they are being held without bail and are expected to be indicted.  Phillipos was charged with knowingly and willingly making false statements. The first three times he was interviewed, he claimed he did not go to the dorm room. [xlv]   He was released on bail.

Investigators are now looking into the brothers’ ties to the 2011 unsolved murder of Brandon Mess, a contact of Tamerlan, and two other men in Waltham, Massachusetts. The three victims’ throats were slashed and their bodies were covered in marijuana [xlvi] In late May, Ibragim Todashev, a Chechen, lunged at an FBI agent with a knife during an interview regarding the Mess murder, and was shot and killed by the agent.   Todashev, a mixed martial arts fighter, knew Tamerlan, and according to FBI sources, Todashev was expected to confess to the murder of Mess.[xlvii]

Intelligence Reviewed

Tamerlan first came to the attention of the FBI when the Russian government provided information in March 2011. According to reports, the Russians were concerned by a series of text messages sent from Tamerlan’s mother to her relative regarding Tamerlan’s desire to join a separatist group. [xlviii] These specifics regarding the text messages, however, were allegedly not relayed to the FBI until after the bombings.

The FBI investigated Tamerlan between March and June 2011, but concluded he was not a threat. The FBI also stated that they asked for more information from the Russians, but did not receive any.[xlix] The Massachusetts Commonwealth Fusion Center and the CIA were not told of that investigation.  Six months later, Russian officials requested the CIA place Tamerlan on a terrorism watch list and the National Counterterrorism Center list. His name was in the FBI terrorist screening database and a Homeland Security database. Tamerlan traveled to Dagestan, Russia, in 2012, but US Customs and Border Protection did not do a follow up interview upon his return.[l]  His mother was also on the watch list.

The Boston Regional Intelligence Center issued a report dated April 10th, identifying the Boston Marathon as an “area of increased vulnerability” and noted the potential to use “small scale bombings.” [li]   Of course, this report is one among scores of similar assessments of public events.

Charges and Aftermath

Dzhokhar was charged “with using a weapon of mass destruction against persons and property at the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, resulting in death.”[lii] He is being represented by Judy Clarke, famous for the defense of Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.  Dzhokhar has developed a teenage fan base on twitter;  #FreeJahar. As one fan put it, “Yes i like Justin Bieber and i like Jahar but that has nothing to do with why i support him. I know hes innocent, he is far too beautiful.” [liii]

The following article appeared in the 2013 August/September issue of the Counter Terrorist Magazine.

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[i] http://c.o0bg.com/rw/Boston/2011-2020/2013/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Graphics/kt_complaint.pdf

[ii] http://c.o0bg.com/rw/Boston/2011-2020/2013/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Graphics/kt_complaint.pdf

[iii] http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/justice/boston-marathon-timeline

[iv] http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fbi-shoots-florida-man-linked-boston-marathon-bombing/story?id=19231642#.UaT5zRvn9dg; http://www.news.com.au/world-news/north-america/boston-bomb-suspects-killed-police-officer-sean-collier-for-his-gun/story-fnh81jut-1226628497292

[v] http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1304/26/acd.02.html

[vi] http://cnn.com/interactive/2013/04/us/boston-marathon-terror-attack/

[vii] http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/metro/Watertown-police-chief-describes-firefight-with-Boston-Marathon-bomb-suspects/-/11971628/19830666/-/fmc5hh/-/index.html

[viii] http://cnn.com/interactive/2013/04/us/boston-marathon-terror-attack/

[ix] http://cnn.com/interactive/2013/04/us/boston-marathon-terror-attack

[x] http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/single-gun-recovered-accused-boston-bombers/story?id=19028841

[xi] http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/05/03/boston-marathon-bombing-suspect-tamerlan-tsarnaev-died-from-gunshot-wounds-blunt-trauma-according-death-certificate/HqbOisq2mQerevXscHn06J/story.html

[xii]http://article.wn.com/view/2013/04/21/Dramatic_Helicopter_Video_Reveals_Wounded_Bombing_Suspect/#/related_news

[xiii] http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/thermal-imaging-aided-bomb-suspect-arrest-article-1.1322811

[xiv] http://cnn.com/interactive/2013/04/us/boston-marathon-terror-attack/

[xv]http://c.o0bg.com/rw/Boston/2011020/2013/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Graphics/phil_complaint.pdf

[xvi] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/16/boston-bombing-suspect-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-reportedly-left-note-inside-boat/

[xvii]http://c.o0bg.com/rw/Boston/2011020/2013/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Graphics/phil_complaint.pdf

[xviii] http://swampland.time.com/2013/04/30/five-questions-in-congress-about-the-boston-bombings/

[xxi] http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2013/04/29/130429ta_talk_remnick

[xxii] http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2013/04/29/130429ta_talk_remnick

[xxiii] http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2013/04/29/130429ta_talk_remnick

[xxiv] http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1304/26/acd.02.html

[xxv] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/us/dzhokhar-tsarnaevs-dark-side-carefully-masked.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[xxvi] http://news.msn.com/us/boston-suspects-web-page-venerates-island-chechen-independence

[xxvii] http://businessweek.com/printer/articles/489956?type=bloomberg; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324743704578447263803031592.html

[xxviii] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/24/toy-car-parts-likely-used-to-detonate-marathon-bombs-investigators-conclude/

[xxix] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/24/toy-car-parts-likely-used-to-detonate-marathon-bombs-investigators-conclude/

[xxx] http://www.fbi.gov/news/updates-on-investigation-into-multiple-explosions-in-boston

[xxxi] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/04/24/toy-car-parts-likely-used-to-detonate-marathon-bombs-investigators-conclude/

[xxxii] http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/explosives-residue-found-in-slain-boston-suspect-s-apartment_846662.html

[xxxiii] http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/26/17932143-exclusive-government-doc-shows-how-closely-boston-marathon-bombers-followed-al-qaeda-plans?lite

[xxxv]http://c.o0bg.com/rw/Boston/2011020/2013/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Graphics/phil_complaint.pdf

[xxxvi] www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/fbi-boston-marathon-bomb-_n_3166750.html

[xxxvii] Boston bombing suspects laptop may explain what radicalized them

[xxxviii] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/02/new-information-revealed-about-boston-marathon-bombing-devices/

[xxxix] http://bigstory.ap.org/article/lawmakers-ask-who-knew-what-about-bomb-suspect

[xl] http://world.time.com/2013/04/29/picking-up-the-boston-bomber-trail-in-utamysh-russia/

[xli] http://world.time.com/2013/04/29/picking-up-the-boston-bomber-trail-in-utamysh-russia/

[xlii]http://c.o0bg.com/rw/Boston/2011020/2013/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Graphics/phil_complaint.pdf

[xliii] http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/02/new-information-revealed-about-boston-marathon-bombing-devices/

[xliv] http://c.o0bg.com/rw/Boston/2011020/2013/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Graphics/phil_complaint.pdf

[xlv]http://c.o0bg.com/rw/Boston/2011020/2013/05/01/BostonGlobe.com/Metro/Graphics/phil_complaint.pdf

[xlvi] http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/05/investigators-are-trying-pin-another-triple-homicide-boston-bombers/65108/

[xlvii] http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fbi-shoots-florida-man-linked-boston-marathon-bombing/story?id=19231642#.UaT5zRvn9dg

[xlviii] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324244304578475300856008018.html

[xlix] http://www.boston.com/news/local/blogs/war-and-peace/2013/04/26/former-chief-terror-information-sharing-tsarnaev-handling-looks-like-mistake/rkVhCeC5sUsWT2TxaVII8J/blog.html

[l] http://www.boston.com/news/local/blogs/war-and-peace/2013/04/26/former-chief-terror-information-sharing-tsarnaev-handling-looks-like-mistake/rkVhCeC5sUsWT2TxaVII8J/blog.html

[li] http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-intelligence-report-vulnerability-boston-bombing-20130509,0,7305052.story

[liii] http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/05/12/freejahar-boston-bombings-suspect-dzhokhar-tsarnaevsteenage-fans-too-beautiful-terrorist_n_3262795.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

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