Perpetrator of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which killed three people and injured hundreds, sparking a massive manhunt and widespread fear.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is known for perpetrating one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in modern American history - the Boston Marathon bombing. On April 15, 2013, Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan, planted pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring 264 others.
Dzhokhar Anzorovich Tsarnaev was born on July 22, 1993, to Anzor Tsarnaev, a Chechen, and Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, an Avar. His older brother, Tamerlan, was born on October 21, 1986. The Tsarnaev family had a tumultuous past, having been forcibly moved from Chechnya by the Soviet Union to the Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan after World War II.
On April 15, 2013, Tsarnaev and his brother carried out the Boston Marathon bombing, detonating two pressure cooker bombs near the finish line. The attack killed three people: Martin Richard, 8, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Lingzi Lu, 23. Hundreds more were injured, many severely. The brothers then went on to attack and kill MIT Police Officer Sean Collier on April 18, 2013.
Following the bombing, a massive manhunt was launched, with thousands of police officers searching for the Tsarnaev brothers. On April 19, 2013, Dzhokhar was found hiding in a boat in a resident's backyard in Watertown, Massachusetts. He was shot and taken into custody, while his brother, Tamerlan, died in a shootout with police earlier that day.
Tsarnaev was tried and convicted of 30 counts related to the bombing. He was sentenced to death, but in July 2020, his death sentence was vacated on appeal. However, in March 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision, reinstating his death sentence. As of 2024, Tsarnaev is being held on death row at a federal supermax prison in Colorado.
Tsarnaev cited Anwar al-Awlaki, a militant Islamist cleric, as an inspiration for his actions. He also claimed that he was motivated by a desire to defend Islam and punish the United States for its involvement in Muslim countries.
The Boston Marathon bombing had a profound impact on American society, leading to increased security measures at public events and a renewed focus on counter-terrorism efforts. Tsarnaev's actions also raised questions about the radicalization of young Muslims and the role of online extremist propaganda in inspiring terrorist attacks.
In a note found in the boat where he was hiding, Tsarnaev wrote, "I do not mourn because his [Allah's] mercy is greater... I will not mourn because his punishment is more awful." This quote provides insight into his extremist beliefs and motivations.
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