Boston Bomber Read White Supremacy, Radical Gun Rights Articles
Boston bomber Tamerlan, the older and now dead of the two Tsarnaev brothers, has been found to have regularly read about white supremacy. Many of the articles he read were also about government conspiracy theories, including some alarmist publications about gun rights. Tamerlan also seemed to have an interest in mass killings.
These new findings, revealed by BBC News on Monday, show that the motives behind the bombing of the Boston Marathon earlier this year are not simple. Media has painted the Tsarnaevs as radical Muslims carrying out a violent jihad. After months of interviews and investigative journalism, the new BBC report shows it to be much more complicated.
Among the articles found to be owned by Tamerlan Tsarnaev were pieces on the September 11, 2001 terror attacks and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The articles argued that both were government conspiracies. Similar articles were also found to talk about the “rape” of the rights of gun owners in the United States.
Other literature owned by the Boston bomber discussed white supremacy. BBC News reports that one argued that Hitler was not entirely wrong, and had made strong arguments. More of Tamerlan’s readings showed an interest in mass killers beyond Hitler. It seemed that he was especially interested in their motivations and lack of remorse for their actions.
Those who knew the Tsarnaev brothers say that they weren’t serious Muslims. One friend says that the older brother, Tamerlan, became more and more anti-American in recent times and latched on to radical Islam. They say he was frustrated because his boxing career came to a halt, blaming it on a lack of full US citizenship.
Dzhokhar, the younger brother, was noted mostly for partying and smoking weed in excess. Friends say his older brother disapproved, and often intimidated Dzhokhar.
They also say that neither prayed regularly. A representative from the Tsarnaev’s mosque describe the brothers as rarely active in the Muslim community. She says that Tamerlan was an angry young man who thought Islam would provide answers. A Muslim of convenience was how she described his lack of genuine religious devotion.
A man hunt following the tragic bombing lead to Tamerlan being shot and killed by police. The younger Tsarnaev brother, Dzhokhar, was arrested. The accused Boston bomber is currently facing trial where he may be sentenced to death row.
