Boston Suspects: What's Known by the Facts
In an attempt to scissor out the speculative nature of much mainstream reporting, the following is a list of established facts regarding the two named suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings earlier this week.
What's known so far:

What's known so far:
- Two brothers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (aged 19) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev (aged 26), have been named as the two individuals shown in photographs and video footage released late yesterday by law enforcement.
- Tamerlan, according to numerous reports, was killed late last night following a shootout with law enforcement.
- As of 12:20 PM (EST), Dzhokhar remained on the run and a huge a manhunt was still underway for his capture.
Personal information:
Tamerlan Tsarnaev:
- The older of the brothers, Tamerlan is reported to have been born in Russia, but exactly where remains unclear.
- He attended the prestigious Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- This documentary-style photo essay tells the story of Tamerlan's boxing career.
- Tamerlan studied engineering at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston.
- According to the website spotcrime.com, a man with the name Tamerlan Tsarnaev was arrested for domestic violence in July 2009 after assaulting his girlfriend.
Dzhokhar Tsarneav: - This page on the Europe-based social networking site VK.com appears to belong to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (though the spelling on the site reads Djohar Tsarnaev).
- Dzhokhar was born in the nation of Kyrgystan, a former Soviet republic in central Asia.
- According to the brother's uncle, the family emigrated to the United States from Kyrgystan in 2003 and were granted asylum.
- Like his brother, Dzhokhar attended the prestigious Boston-area Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. Associated Press reports he graduated in 2011.
- "He had a ton of friends, he seemed normal, seemed like a regular kid," said Peter Payack, a who coached Dzhokhar in wrestling at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.
The uncle of the two brothers, Ruslan Tsarni, spoke with reporters just before noon on Friday, condemning his nephews, clarifying some of the facts about their upbringing, and expressing his grief for the victims and family members impacted by this week's violence:
"Yes, we are ashamed," he said, speaking on behalf of himself and the extended family.
Asked why the brothers might have done it, the uncle was blunt. "What I think was behind it?" he said. "Being losers."
"Anything else to do with religion, with Islam," he said, "... is a fraud, is a fake."
Asked about Chechnya, Tsarni responded: "This has nothing to do with Chechnya." And added that neither of the men were born in the region and, to his knowledge, had never been there.
Tsarni said that if still alive, his nephew Dzokhar, should 'turn himself in' and 'ask for forgiveness' from those killed and injured in Monday's bombings.
Robin Young, whose nephew graduated high school with Dzohkar, tweeted this message on Friday:
\u201cMy beloved nephew on right, djohar tsarnaev on left, happy cambridge Rindge and Latin grads.heartbreaking\u201d— Robin Young (@Robin Young) 1366379031
____________________________________________________________________
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |

What's known so far:
- Two brothers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (aged 19) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev (aged 26), have been named as the two individuals shown in photographs and video footage released late yesterday by law enforcement.
- Tamerlan, according to numerous reports, was killed late last night following a shootout with law enforcement.
- As of 12:20 PM (EST), Dzhokhar remained on the run and a huge a manhunt was still underway for his capture.
Personal information:
Tamerlan Tsarnaev:
- The older of the brothers, Tamerlan is reported to have been born in Russia, but exactly where remains unclear.
- He attended the prestigious Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- This documentary-style photo essay tells the story of Tamerlan's boxing career.
- Tamerlan studied engineering at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston.
- According to the website spotcrime.com, a man with the name Tamerlan Tsarnaev was arrested for domestic violence in July 2009 after assaulting his girlfriend.
Dzhokhar Tsarneav: - This page on the Europe-based social networking site VK.com appears to belong to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (though the spelling on the site reads Djohar Tsarnaev).
- Dzhokhar was born in the nation of Kyrgystan, a former Soviet republic in central Asia.
- According to the brother's uncle, the family emigrated to the United States from Kyrgystan in 2003 and were granted asylum.
- Like his brother, Dzhokhar attended the prestigious Boston-area Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. Associated Press reports he graduated in 2011.
- "He had a ton of friends, he seemed normal, seemed like a regular kid," said Peter Payack, a who coached Dzhokhar in wrestling at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.
The uncle of the two brothers, Ruslan Tsarni, spoke with reporters just before noon on Friday, condemning his nephews, clarifying some of the facts about their upbringing, and expressing his grief for the victims and family members impacted by this week's violence:
"Yes, we are ashamed," he said, speaking on behalf of himself and the extended family.
Asked why the brothers might have done it, the uncle was blunt. "What I think was behind it?" he said. "Being losers."
"Anything else to do with religion, with Islam," he said, "... is a fraud, is a fake."
Asked about Chechnya, Tsarni responded: "This has nothing to do with Chechnya." And added that neither of the men were born in the region and, to his knowledge, had never been there.
Tsarni said that if still alive, his nephew Dzokhar, should 'turn himself in' and 'ask for forgiveness' from those killed and injured in Monday's bombings.
Robin Young, whose nephew graduated high school with Dzohkar, tweeted this message on Friday:
\u201cMy beloved nephew on right, djohar tsarnaev on left, happy cambridge Rindge and Latin grads.heartbreaking\u201d— Robin Young (@Robin Young) 1366379031
____________________________________________________________________

What's known so far:
- Two brothers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (aged 19) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev (aged 26), have been named as the two individuals shown in photographs and video footage released late yesterday by law enforcement.
- Tamerlan, according to numerous reports, was killed late last night following a shootout with law enforcement.
- As of 12:20 PM (EST), Dzhokhar remained on the run and a huge a manhunt was still underway for his capture.
Personal information:
Tamerlan Tsarnaev:
- The older of the brothers, Tamerlan is reported to have been born in Russia, but exactly where remains unclear.
- He attended the prestigious Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- This documentary-style photo essay tells the story of Tamerlan's boxing career.
- Tamerlan studied engineering at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston.
- According to the website spotcrime.com, a man with the name Tamerlan Tsarnaev was arrested for domestic violence in July 2009 after assaulting his girlfriend.
Dzhokhar Tsarneav: - This page on the Europe-based social networking site VK.com appears to belong to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (though the spelling on the site reads Djohar Tsarnaev).
- Dzhokhar was born in the nation of Kyrgystan, a former Soviet republic in central Asia.
- According to the brother's uncle, the family emigrated to the United States from Kyrgystan in 2003 and were granted asylum.
- Like his brother, Dzhokhar attended the prestigious Boston-area Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School. Associated Press reports he graduated in 2011.
- "He had a ton of friends, he seemed normal, seemed like a regular kid," said Peter Payack, a who coached Dzhokhar in wrestling at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.
The uncle of the two brothers, Ruslan Tsarni, spoke with reporters just before noon on Friday, condemning his nephews, clarifying some of the facts about their upbringing, and expressing his grief for the victims and family members impacted by this week's violence:
"Yes, we are ashamed," he said, speaking on behalf of himself and the extended family.
Asked why the brothers might have done it, the uncle was blunt. "What I think was behind it?" he said. "Being losers."
"Anything else to do with religion, with Islam," he said, "... is a fraud, is a fake."
Asked about Chechnya, Tsarni responded: "This has nothing to do with Chechnya." And added that neither of the men were born in the region and, to his knowledge, had never been there.
Tsarni said that if still alive, his nephew Dzokhar, should 'turn himself in' and 'ask for forgiveness' from those killed and injured in Monday's bombings.
Robin Young, whose nephew graduated high school with Dzohkar, tweeted this message on Friday:
\u201cMy beloved nephew on right, djohar tsarnaev on left, happy cambridge Rindge and Latin grads.heartbreaking\u201d— Robin Young (@Robin Young) 1366379031
____________________________________________________________________



