The Brothers Who Bombed Boston

April 15th Boston Marathon Bombing

Initial Incident

  • April 15th, Boston, a historic city. A terror attack occurred during the Boston Marathon.

  • Three fatalities and hundreds of injuries.

  • Worst terror attack on American civilians since 9/11.

  • Two brothers were identified as suspects: Tamerlan (26) and Jahar (19).

  • Tamerlan was a boxer and Jahar liked hip hop.

  • The brothers were tracked down in a manhunt.

The Marathon

  • It was a sparkling spring day. April 15th.

  • Thousands of people lined the streets for the Boston Marathon.

  • Peter Payek, a wrestling coach and marathon enthusiast, was planning to meet his son at mile 22 and bike to the finish line.

  • Roseanne Sedoya had been attending the marathon since childhood and went to the finish line to see friends run.

The Bombing

  • At 2:37 PM, security cameras captured two men, ethnic Chechens, turning onto the city's main street with backpacks.

  • Tamerlan moved towards the marathon finish line.

  • Jahar was wearing a white baseball cap.

  • Roseanne was standing close to where Jahar was.

  • Something blew up, and Roseanne realized it was a bad situation.

  • The scene was chaotic with body parts on the streets and screams.

  • Jahar was seen leaving the scene without his backpack.

  • Peter Payek's son had a sudden cramp, which kept them away from the explosion.

Aftermath and Investigation

  • Peter Payek coached Jahar and felt betrayed by his involvement.

  • Authorities found fragments of simple homemade bombs made with pressure cookers.

  • Jahar returned to college and tweeted "I'm a stress free kind of guy."

  • The FBI released photos of the suspects, leading to a massive manhunt.

  • The brothers killed a security guard, Sean Collier, to steal his gun and hijacked a car.

  • Tamerlan told the driver that he was the bomber.

Confrontation with Police

  • Two hours later, police confronted the brothers west of Boston.

  • A gunfight ensued, with the brothers throwing bombs at the police.

  • An officer got close to Tamerlan, and they exchanged fire.

  • Tamerlan ran out of bullets and charged at the officer.

  • Jahar ran over Tamerlan with a car while escaping.

  • Tamerlan died shortly after being run over by Jahar.

  • Jahar ran away on foot.

Manhunt and Capture

  • The city of Boston was locked down.

  • David Hennenbury found Jahar hiding in his boat.

  • Police used helicopters with infrared cameras and stun grenades to capture Jahar.

  • Jahar was found injured and bloodied in the boat.

  • He had written on the boat's walls, "The US Government is killing our innocent civilians. We Muslims are one body. You hurt one, you hurt us all."

The Brothers' Backgrounds

  • The brothers were ethnic Chechens from Russia, a region with Islamic insurgency.

  • They had lived in Cambridge, near Boston, for a decade.

  • Tamerlan saw America as both strange and wonderful upon arrival.

  • He loved the opportunities America offered, like boxing and public transportation.

  • Tamerlan was a top heavyweight boxer in New England with Olympic dreams.

  • Tamerlan's boxing career ended when he was barred from competing nationally due to his citizenship status.

  • Tamerlan became disillusioned and developed a passion for Islam and anti-Semitism.

  • He married an American woman, Catherine, who converted to Islam.

  • Tamerlan felt that America was attacking Middle Eastern countries and taking their oil.

  • Jahar seemed like a regular American teenager who enjoyed hip hop.

  • He didn't appear overtly religious.

  • Jahar worried about money and girls.

Influences and Motivations

  • Jahar's parents were divorcing, and his dad had a brain tumor.

  • Jahar smoked pot, while Tamerlan tried to push religion on him.

  • Jahar was intimidated by Tamerlan.

  • The brothers' mother, Zubaydat, became more religious and allegedly shoplifted.

  • A House Intelligence Committee believes Zubaydat was involved in Tamerlan's radicalization.

  • Tamerlan had a YouTube page with videos about Muslim prophecies and the Islamic struggle against Russia.

  • Russia had warned the FBI about Tamerlan's extremism, but the case was dropped due to lack of evidence.

  • Tamerlan was suspected of involvement in a triple murder on 9/11/2011 but the investigation lapsed.

  • Tamerlan visited Dagestan and Chechnya, but it's unclear if he received training.

  • Upon returning to Boston, Tamerlan frequently expressed anger about American drones and Russia.

  • He subscribed to publications about government conspiracies, gun rights, and white supremacy.

  • The brothers found instructions online for building pressure cooker bombs.

Jahar's Transformation

  • Three days before the bombings, Jahar was seen training at the gym and appeared normal.

  • Friends were shocked at Jahar's involvement, noting a radical change in him.

  • No Islamic group claimed responsibility for the bombings.

  • The brothers were considered