Terrorism at the Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon Bombing On April 15, 2013 two pressure cookers bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This resulted in three deaths and it injured 264 people. In the next week, a manhunt and shoot out occurred between the perpetrators (i.e. Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev) and law enforcement. The result is that one them was subsequently killed by the police and the other was critically injured. They were originally from Chechnya and immigrated to the United States when they were teenagers.

(Bodden, 2014) In the aftermath, it was determined that both were motivated by radical Islamic views. Yet, they were not a part of an organized terrorist group. At the same time, each one had trouble integrating into American society and felt like outsiders. The combination of these factors meant, that they turned to extremist elements to find comfort and support. (Bodden, 2014) To fully understand their motives and what led them to commit these crimes; requires looking at the events that led up to the Boston Marathon Bombing.

This will be accomplished by providing a timeline of what happened / the background on both individuals and theories surrounding why they decided to engage in these activities. This topic is controversial as there are differences of opinions about what caused the Tsarnaev brothers to engage in these and other crimes. Together, these elements will illustrate possible motivates and how they justified their behavior. The Timeline of the Boston Marathon Bombings and the Background to the Perpetrators In 2002, the Tsarnaev brothers immigrated to the United States.

They were given refugee status and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tamerlan attended Bunker Hill Community College. However, he dropped out, as he felt alienated and wanted to peruse a career in boxing. In 2009, he was arrested for domestic violence from assaulting his girlfriend (i.e. Katherine Russell). The two were married in 2010. During this time, he became radicalized to Islam and began associating online with terrorist organizations. In 2011, the Russian Federal Security Services warned the FBI of his activities and his close ties to Muslim separatists in Chechnya.

After a trip to Dagestan, is when he was more radicalized at an Islamic school and mosque in 2012. The Department of Homeland Security searched his home and computer files. They found nothing that tied him directly to terrorist related activities. (Bodden, 2014) Dzhokhar was motivated by his brother and began to share his beliefs. He was attending the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at the time of bombing. In September 2012, he became a naturalized American citizen. Both individuals, gained accessed to bomb making techniques through an online magazine published by Al Qaeda.

Moreover, Tamerlan was suspected of being involved in a triple homicide at a Waltham, Massachusetts apartment. However, there was no direct evidence linking him to the murders. This tendency for violence influenced his brother, by encouraging him to become actively involved in the same interests. On April 15, 2013; they dropped off two backpacks near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. They wanted to strike back at the U.S. For the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan against Muslims. After the explosions, they attempted to blend into society.

On April 18th, the FBI released photos of them and asked for the public's help in identifying / locating them. Fearful of what happened, the two killed an MIT police officer for his gun and carjacked a Mercedes Benz. After this occurred, they decided to go to New York, to bomb Time Square. However, their hostage from the carjacking escaped and called 911. He told them, the Tsarnaevs' had his cell phone and tracked their location to Watertown, Massachusetts. On April 19th, a firefight ensued between the brothers and police.

Tamerlan was injured and taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds). However, Dzhokhar was wounded and managed to escape in the stolen Mercedes. A manhunt ensued throughout the area. This resulted in Dzhokhar being located in a boat and bleeding profusely from his wounds. The police raided the location and captured him. He was taken to the hospital and made a fully recovery.

In the aftermath, Dzhokhar admitted his involvement in the attacks and was charged with 33 counts (to include: possessing / using weapons of mass destruction). (Bodden, 2014) What Motivated the Tsarnaev Brothers? The current position is Tsarnaev brothers were motivated by a desire to strike back and the United States. This is because they felt that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were unjustified acts of aggression against Muslims. At the same time, Tamerlan had a propensity for violence and was influenced by the radical views of his mother in Chechnya.

This and his inability to adapt to American society made him feel as if he was an outsider in a strange land. (Bodden, 2014) His views had a major impact on his brother. Dzhokhar felt a sense of loyalty to him and wanted to support Tamerlan at any cost. The result is that the two began to share a hatred for America and everything it stood for.

To strike back, they decided to use the Boston Marathon as a way of taking the fight to the society which allowed atrocities to occur in the Middle East. The victims were a part of the collateral damage in an effort to achieve these objectives. These insights are showing how a predisposition towards violence, alienation, family loyalty and radical views.