Jessica Hagstrom

One suspect from Monday’s Boston Marathon explosions is dead and another on the run following a confrontation with law enforcement that began late last night in the Boston suburb of Watertown. They have been identified as ethnic Chechens, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev (19) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev (26).

The violence stemmed from a chaotic series of events, including a 7-Eleven robbery in nearby Cambridge; fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus police officer; carjacking of a Mercedes SUV at gunpoint; and police chase and shootout that resulted in Tamerlan’s death.

The ensuing manhunt for Dzhokhar has brought the Boston area to a halt, as residents are being ordered to stay inside and lock doors. The city’s subway and bus systems are not operating, and public schools and colleges are closed. Authorities have prohibited traffic and closed businesses in Watertown and surrounding areas.

Further details about the suspects are listed below:

  • Both suspects appear to have been submerged in American culture in recent years. Tamerlan was born in Russia and Dzhokhar in Kyrgyzstan. Their family emigrated to the U.S. and became permanent legal residents in 2007, although it remains unclear how long they have been in the country. 
     
  • Tamerlan was a boxer who reportedly spent time studying at Bunker Hill Community College, with aspirations to become an engineer. Dzhokhar was on the wrestling team at Cambridge Ridge and Latin High School. He is said to be a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
     
  • Both brothers utilized social media and seem to have had a heavy online presence. In particular, Tamerlan used the forums to convey his Islamic faith and devout views.
     
  • Tamerlan allegedly asked his girlfriend, who he supposedly assaulted in 2009, to convert to Islam. 
The MSA Research and Intelligence Analysis Team is following this situation and the ongoing manhunt closely, and has provided the following terrorism threat analysis.

  1. Currently the brothers’ motivation behind the attack is unclear. There is speculation as to whether their actions are tied to their Chechen heritage, as Chechnya has faced years of violence between local separatists and Russian forces. The violence stems from an Islamic insurgency seeking to establish an Islamic state in the Caucuses. The Chechens are not only dangerous, but have a history of wide ranging tactics and flexible targeting, although they have yet to attack within the U.S. Their targeting of the West has been focused on Europe over the past couple of years, and there are cases of Chechens attempting to conduct acts of terror in Denmark and Paris. There are also potential indicators that this incident may be tied to Islamic extremism and that terrorism nexus.
     
  2. The brothers’ online presence could have helped foster their radicalization, which has happened in the past cases. Although difficult to define, the brothers may very well fall into the category of homegrown violent extremists.
     
  3. The third and least likely scenario is that they are disenfranchised youth that turned to violence to express hatred.

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(Image Credit: NY Daily News

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