Tsarnaev Brothers Acted Alone, on Plan Driven by Tamerlan: Dzhokhar
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old student who, along with his brother Tamerlan, allegedly detonated two explosives at the finish line of the Boston Marathon last week, has indicated to authorities that the pair acted alone, with no connection to overseas terrorist groups, CNN and AP both report.
The younger Tsarnaev, who was arraigned yesterday on terrorism-related charges at the Boston hospital in which he lies recuperating from wounds sustained during Friday's manhunt, is awake and lucid, and responding to some questions in writing. A possibly self-inflicted gunshot wound to the throat is said to have made speech difficult; according to the transcript of the bedside hearing, available below, the only word Tsarnaev spoke was "no."
According to CNN and AP's federal sources, Dzhokhar told authorities that the brothers were motivated by a radical, jihadist interpretation of Islam, but that they trained and planned the attack themselves, spurred on by videos they found online Jake Tapper reports that Dzhokhar also indicated that Tamerlan was, as many had speculated, the "driving force" behind the attacks. Investigators are currently attempting to independently verify Dzhokhar's claims.
Here's the transcript of his bedside hearing: