Boston Marathon Bombing: Tsarnaev Brothers' Motives

Introduction

On April 15, 2013, two pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The blasts resulted in three deaths and injured 264 people. In the days that followed, a manhunt and shootout occurred between the perpetrators — Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev — and law enforcement. One brother was killed by police and the other was critically injured. Both had originally come from Chechnya and immigrated to the United States as teenagers (Bodden, 2014).

In the aftermath, investigators determined that both brothers were motivated by radical Islamic views, though they were not members of any organized terrorist group. At the same time, each had difficulty integrating into American society and felt like an outsider. The combination of these factors led them to seek comfort and support from extremist elements (Bodden, 2014).

To fully understand their motives and what led them to commit these crimes requires examining the events that preceded the bombing. This paper provides a timeline of what happened, background on both individuals, and the theories surrounding why they chose to engage in these activities. The topic is inherently controversial, as there are differing opinions about what caused the Tsarnaev brothers to act as they did. Together, these elements illustrate their possible motivations and how they justified their behavior.

Timeline of the Boston Marathon Bombing and Background on the Perpetrators

In 2002, the Tsarnaev family immigrated to the United States. They were granted refugee status and settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tamerlan attended Bunker Hill Community College but dropped out, feeling alienated and wanting to pursue a career in boxing. In 2009, he was arrested for domestic violence after assaulting his girlfriend, Katherine Russell. The two married in 2010. During this period, he became radicalized and began associating online with terrorist organizations. In 2011, the Russian Federal Security Service warned the FBI about his activities and his close ties to Muslim separatists in Chechnya. Following a trip to Dagestan in 2012, his radicalization deepened at an Islamic school and mosque. The Department of Homeland Security searched his home and computer files but found no evidence directly linking him to terrorist activity (Bodden, 2014).

Dzhokhar was influenced by his brother and began to share his beliefs. He was attending college at the time of the bombing. In September 2012, he became a naturalized American citizen. Both brothers gained access to bomb-making techniques through an online magazine published by Al-Qaeda. Tamerlan was also suspected of involvement in a triple homicide at a Waltham, Massachusetts apartment, though no direct evidence linked him to the murders. His propensity for violence influenced Dzhokhar, drawing him further into the same extremist world.

On April 15, 2013, the brothers dropped off two backpacks near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Their stated intent was to strike back at the United States for its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan against Muslims. After the explosions, they attempted to blend back into society. On April 18th, the FBI released photos of the suspects and asked for the public's help in identifying and locating them. Fearing capture, the two killed an MIT police officer for his weapon and carjacked a Mercedes-Benz. They planned to travel to New York City to bomb Times Square. However, their carjacking victim escaped and called 911, informing police that the Tsarnaevs had his cell phone. Authorities used the phone to track them to Watertown, Massachusetts. On April 19th, a firefight erupted between the brothers and police. Tamerlan was shot and taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Dzhokhar, though wounded, managed to escape in the stolen vehicle. A subsequent manhunt led police to him hiding in a boat, bleeding profusely. He was taken into custody, transported to the hospital, and made a full recovery. In the aftermath, Dzhokhar admitted his involvement in the attacks and was charged with 33 counts, including possessing and using weapons of mass destruction (Bodden, 2014).

Conclusion

Clearly, the Tsarnaev brothers were motivated to carry out the Boston Marathon bombings by a combination of anti-social behavior, radical Islamic ideology, family loyalty, and a desire to strike back at their adopted country. The Boston Marathon represented for them an ideal target — a high-profile, public event that would maximize impact while allowing them to blend back into the crowd afterward. They believed this approach would enable them to carry out future attacks without detection by law enforcement.

These interpretations remain contested, however, as scholars continue to debate the true weight of ideological, psychological, cultural, and social factors in driving the brothers' actions. Future research should focus on the specific influences that shaped their worldview and the role those influences played across different stages of their lives. A deeper understanding of radicalization pathways is essential for preventing similar acts of homegrown terrorism.

References

Alvarez, A. (2014). Violence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Bodden, V. (2014). Boston Marathon Bombings. Minneapolis, MN: ABDO.

Feifer, G. (2014). Russians. New York, NY: Twelve.