Boston Marathon Suspect had Right-Wing, White Supremacy Literature Before Bombing
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the suspects behind the Boston Marathon bombings in April that killed three people, apparently was in possession of right-wing, white supremacy literature before he allegedly carried out the attack.
A BBC Panorama TV investigation noted that 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was shot dead on April 19 after a shootout with police, had subscribed to white supremacy and government conspiracy theory publications, and had also been reading material on mass killings. His younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is suspected to have aided his brother in the attack, was injured and later captured in the ensuing manhunt. He is being accused of killing four people in total and injuring over 260 at the bombings in April and at the later shootout with police. He has denied all charges against him, but faces life imprisonment or the death penalty if convicted.
In July, a Rolling Stone cover of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that many described as "glamorous" faced a great deal of criticism with thousands taking to social media outlets and accusing the magazine of trying to paint the suspected bomber as a "rock star."
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A number of companies, including CVS, Walgreens, Tedeschi Food Shops, Shaw's Supermarkets and Roche Brothers supermarkets vowed to not carry the August issue of the magazine out of respect for the victims. "As a company with deep roots in New England and a strong presence in Boston, we believe this is the right decision out of respect for the victims of the attack and their loved ones," CVS said.
Rolling Stone defended its choice with a statement: "The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens."
A number of reports have described the brothers, especially Tamerlan Tsarnaev, as jihadists who had been motivated by radical Islamist teachings when they allegedly carried out the bombings, though questions remain about all the factors involved in the crime.
A spokesperson for the mosque that the older brother attended in Cambridge revealed that he only prayed there occasionally, and described him as "an angry young man who latched onto Islam."
"As far connecting with the Islamic community here, to actually praying, being involved, doing acts of charity….all of those were pretty much lacking," Nicole Mossalam said, according to BBC.
"I would say he was just a Muslim of convenience."
