It’s been 12 days since Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev allegedly detonated two pressure cooker bombs at the Boston Marathon; an act of terror that killed three and injured more than 200.
Since last Monday, authorities have shut down and reopened the city of Boston, engaged in a shootout with the Tsarnaev brothers, captured the youngest of the two (who was hiding in a boat), and charged him with using a weapon of mass destruction.
Authorities have also confirmed that the brothers planned on traveling to Times Square on the night of their capture to detonate bombs there.
Other details about Dzhokar, also known as Jahar, and his brother’s religious beliefs have come to light as well; details that will no doubt aid in building the case against the alleged bombers.
Here are the latest updates in the ongoing case.
1. Bombing Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarneav Moved From Hospital To Prison
Authorities have transferred the younger Tsarnaev brother from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to a secure facility in Fort Devens, Mass. The U.S. Marshal’s office confirmed that he was moved to the Bureau of Prisons facility overnight.
The prison, which is just about 40 miles west of Boston treats federal prisoners and detainees who require specialized long-term medical or mental health care. The 19-year-old is currently recovering from a gunshot wound to the throat.
2. Carjack Victim Recalls Harrowing Night
The owner of the black Mercedes SUV that the Tsarnaev brothers stole is now coming forward to tell authorities about his hour and a half experience with the suspected bombers. The 26-year-old Chinese entrepreneur named “Danny” said he had just pulled his new Mercedes to the curb to answer a text when an old sedan swerved behind him. A man dressed in dark clothing approached the passenger window and tapped on the glass.
Danny, unable to hear him, lowered the window — and the man reached an arm through, unlocked the door, and climbed in, brandishing a silver handgun.
“Don’t be stupid,” he told Danny. He asked if he had followed the news about Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings. Danny had, down to the release of the grainy suspect photos less than six hours earlier.
“I did that,” said the man, who would later be identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev. “And I just killed a policeman in Cambridge.”
Danny continued with his story, telling it as if it was a Tarantino movie; bursts of harrowing action laced with dark humor and dialogue absurd for its ordinariness, reminders of just how young the men in the car were.
Girls, credit limits for students, the marvels of the Mercedes ML 350 and the iPhone 5, whether anyone still listens to CDs — all were discussed by the two 26-year-olds and the 19-year-old driving around on a Thursday night.
Danny then recalled how the brothers were openly speaking about driving to New York to bomb Times Square. He even overheard them discussing how and where they might kill him.
When the younger brother, Dzhokhar, was forced to go inside the Shell Food Mart to pay, older brother Tamerlan put his gun in the door pocket to fiddle with a navigation device — letting his guard down briefly after a night on the run. Danny then did what he had been rehearsing in his head. In a flash, he unbuckled his seat belt, opened the door, stepped through, slammed it behind, and sprinted off at an angle that would be a hard shot for any marksman.
“F—!” he heard Tamerlan say, feeling the rush of a near-miss grab at his back, but the man did not follow. Danny reached the haven of a Mobil station across the street, seeking cover in the supply room, shouting for the clerk to call 911.
To read the rest of Danny’s harrowing story, click here.
3. Mother of Bombers Believe Victims Were Paid Actors, Had Paint as Fake Blood
Zubeidat Tsarnaev, the mother of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, told CNN that she believe the carnage after the bombings was a “really big play” that used “paint instead of blood.”
She believes her sons were set up and added, “America took my kids away from me. I’m sure my kids were not involved in anything.”
4. Father To Travel to U.S. To Bring Back Tamerlan’s Body
Anzor Tsarnaev, the father of both bombing suspects, says he plans to travel to U.S. soil in the next few days in hopes of bringing late son Tamerlan’s body back to Russia for a burial, if authorities permit him to do so.
The brothers mother, Zubeidat, isn’t sure if she’ll return; if she does she’ll be taken into custody for a 2012 shoplifting charge.
5. More Fan Pages For Jahar
The fan pages for Dzhokhar (nickname Jahar) continue to grow. A One Direction Fan and eighth grader has created a Tumblr for the suspected bomber called “Free Jahar.” When asked about her page by media site Gawker, she replied:
“I do believe he is very cute, but that’s not the reason I am personally involved in this movement,” she emailed me back. “I am in this because I don’t believe its right to put a totally innocent person in jail for the rest of his/her life or even death penalty. I don’t care who it is, it just isn’t fair.”
This story is developing.
