Bombing Suspect Indicted at Bedside, will Face Trial in Federal Court
A federal magistrate visited the bedside of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as the surviving marathon bombing suspect was charged with the crime. Tsarnaev is charged with unlawfully using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction (namely, an improvised explosive device) against persons and property within the United States. He is also charged with maliciously damaging and destroying, by means of explosive, real and personal property used in interstate and foreign commerce and actively affecting interstate and foreign commerce resulting in personal injury and death. Tsarnaev remains in serious condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, according to the FBI. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said this afternoon that Tsarnaev will be tried in civilian court and not treated as an Enemy Combatant. Carney noted that Tsarnaev is a naturalized American citizen and thus cannot be tried in front of a military tribunal, as an enemy combatant would. South End Patch
Bombing Suspect Awake, Responding in Writing
The hospitalized Boston Marathon bombing suspect, who previously could not be interrogated due to his condition, has begun responding in writing to law enforcement officials questions, ABC News and NBC News reported Sunday evening. Both ABC News and NBC News reported that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, responded in writing to questions due to a throat wound he suffered and that may have been the result of a suicide attempt. Officials are asking about possible collaborations with other “cell members” to determine the scope of the Boston Marathon bombings plot, and about potential unexploded bombs. Tsarnaev remains in serious condition according to the FBI. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Friday evening that Tsarnaev was taken to a hospital in serious condition and covered in blood. Davis said officials assumed his injuries occured during the gunfight in Watertown the evening before. Shots were fired at the boat where Tsarnaev was found hiding, but officials did not know if Tsarnaev was hit. “We always want to take all the suspects alive, so we can find out what happened, why it happened and hold them for justice,” Davis said Friday night. Read the full reports at ABC News and NBC News. South End Patch
Photos of Bombing Suspect Hiding in Boat Released
Massachusetts State Police released five photos on their Twitter account on Saturday afternoon showing marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in the boat in Watertown. Flip through the photos to see shots from the State Police Air Wing, including photos with a thermal imaging camera, which show the suspect within the boat. South End Patch
Boston Marathon Bombing Timeline
A week of sorrow. A week of mourning. A week of Bostonians coming together to persevere. Boston, Massachusetts, New England, and America have lived through one of the toughest weeks since 2001. Between the chaos of Monday, the false rumors and blind alleys of mid-week, and the violence and tension of Thursday night and Friday, it’s hard to imagine so many incredible, indelible moments have happened this week. Use the timeline above to keep track of all the developments and details of Boston’s darkest days in recent memory. South End Patch
PHOTOS: Boston Celebrates Bombing Suspect’s Capture
After a long day trapped indoors under a citywide lockdown, Boston residents were eager to hit the streets Friday night to celebrate the apprehension of the two suspects believed responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing and to celebrate the end of what many called a “very long week.” By 11 p.m., Boston Common was filled with hundreds of people, many college-aged, who stood around in clusters wearing and waving American flags, cheering and breaking into song—“God Bless America,” “The Star-Spangled Banner” and that old Boston favorite, “Sweet Caroline.” A huge group of people filled the Common’s bandstand, climbing the poles and one another’s shoulders, hanging over the edge and leading chants of “USA, USA!” and “BPD! BPD!” Another chant: “We got him!” Others lined up to shake the hands of Boston police officers who stood off to the side keeping an eye on the crowd, while others shouted, “Thank you! God bless!” at them. Drivers honked and blared patriotic music as they drove down streets that had mostly been deserted all day, while pedestrians let out whoops and shouts of “USA!” as they walked. New Haven, CT resident Mauris Nnamani drove up Friday night to check on his girlfriend, who lives on Beacon Hill. He was on the road when he heard that police had apprehended the second bombing suspect in Waterford. “It’s great. I think it’s great for us to celebrate. We just apprehended the suspect in this tragic event,” Nnamani said. But he also felt it was too soon for people to become complacent about safety. “I think that we all should take care and we should make sure that everything is safe. We don’t know if they had accomplices that are still around,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for everybody to come in a big crowd yet until we actually get all the information and know what’s going on.” A group of students from Boston Conservatory said they had partied on campus and decided to venture out to see what the rest of the city was up to. They wandered down to the Prudential Center side of Copley Square to watch CNN’s Anderson Cooper and other TV people report from the edge of what is still blocked off as a crime scene. Asked what it was like to go through the lockdown, student Matthew Rodin said, “It was a long, hard day. It was a long, hard week. But this is the perfect way to end a Friday night.” “It’s such a blessing just to know that we can finally sleep and feel totally at ease for the first time this […]
Elation: Scene of Watertown Capture of Marathon Bombing Suspect
It took a few minutes, but when reality sank in that the second Boston Marathon bomber had been captured in Watertown – their town – the crowd’s mood changed; it became like a victory parade for a Red Sox world championship. After watching the scene in the chilly damp night, being up all night and cooped up all day made, it was extra sweet when the words “suspect in custody” came over the police radio. Two hours earlier, I had been contemplating a second helping of chicken stirfry when the words rarely heard in Watertown came crackling over the scanner: “Shots fired.” My wife, Jen, and I froze and then went into a frenzy. We grabbed our coats and every camera we could get our hands on and jumped in the car. The scene was just two blocks away. Mt. Auburn Street — Watertown’s main thoroughfare — was already blocked off when we got there. Dozens of police talked nervously. Then came a “pop, pop.” Then another, followed by a few more. It was not clear whether they were gas canisters, gun shots, or both. The crowd hushed. I wondered what was happening on the other side of the houses I had stared at, seemingly for several hours. Police cars came and went. Men in heavy body armor and helmets began heading up the street. Then nothing. Everyone seemed nervous. Would the suspect be caputred dead or alive? Would he hurt or even kill an officer – possibly one I know personally? Eventually, word got out — but people didn’t quite seem ready to believe it. A crowd gathered around a car with its radio tuned to a news channel. People clapped when reports that the suspect was subdued and being put into an ambulance. The chill quickly disappeared as the excitement rose. First one police car left – met with some clapping from the crowd. Then more cars rolled by, and finally one police officer waved and yelled “God Bless America! God Bless America!” That was it – the celebration was on. People crowded in, cheering louder and louder and yelling “Good job!” and “Thank You!” A man turned to another and yelled “This is our town!” Being a journalist, I do my best to remove emotion and concentrate on the story. But it was no use; the mood was infectious. Eventally I put down my camera and just watched. I didn’t want to leave the scene, but stories had to be written. It was an added bonus that I was able to share the moment with my wife, an ex-journalist. As we headed back […]
FBI Releases New Photos of Marathon Bombing Suspects
The FBI released new photos of the Boston Marathon bomber suspects in the early hours of Friday morning. The 2 a.m. posting included direct shots of the two suspects’ faces. The wee-hours release comes on the heels of Thursday afternoon’s press conference, when 11 images and a video segment of the suspects were released. South End Patch
PHOTOS: Interfaith Service Dedicated to Marathon Bombing Victims
President Barack Obama will be in the South End on Thursday to lead a special interfaith service dedicated to the victims of the attacks at the marathon on Monday. The service is being held at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End. In addition to Obama, federal, state, local officials will join first responders, civic leaders from communities along the marathon route, medical personnel, victims and their families, as well as volunteers from the Boston Athletic Association have been invited to attend. See photos from the service in the gallery above. South End Patch
PHOTOS: Mourners Flock to Bombing Site
Some came bearing presents: Red Sox T shirts, handmade cards and signs, flowers—even their hard-earned Boston Marathon medals. Some came to watch as FBI crime scene investigators continued to sweep the area around Copley Square for clues in Monday’s bombing. Others came to take pictures, to talk, to listen, to stand in silence and take it all in. Natalie Rincon and Mary Light came to give hugs. Rincon, a Brighton resident, and Light, an Ashland resident, stood outside the blocked off area of Copley Square on Wednesday afternoon holding up bright pink and yellow signs reading “Free Hugs/Abrazos Gratis, 9/15/13.” Many people smiled at them, and a few even took them up on their offer. “We both work in this building [on Boylston Street], and our company’s very hug central—there’s a lot of hugging every day. We thought it’d be our little bit to bring back to Boston,” Rincon said. “It was a very eerie walk to work this morning. Everybody was very quiet. And we thought it would be something nice to cheer people up.” Rincon and Light had the day off from the office Monday during the Boston Marathon, but Rincon was working a second job at a restaurant on Newbury Street—right behind the scene of the second explosion. “There was lots of chaos,” she said. Boston resident Brenda Gailhouse said she wanted to come to the makeshift memorial to see what was happening and to get a sense of the feeling in the neighborhood. “We used to live here for a long time. You want to feel connected to it somehow, I guess,” she said. The mood she experienced at the site was one of mixed emotions. “You see a lot of different feelings from people. You see people crying, you see people talking about what happened. It’s almost a way to process the whole thing,” she said. Back Bay resident Roberta Orlandino called the mood “very somber.” “This is my neighborhood, really. I grew up in Boston and it’s very sad to see that something like this could happen. It’s sad for the world, it’s sad for Boston and the marathon and the runners and the professional athletes,” she said. South End Patch
Report: ‘Substantial Progress’ in Marathon Bombing Case
CNN is reporting that surveillance video taken from Lord & Taylor and a Boston television station have allowed investigators to identify a suspect in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings. Boston.com is reporting a law enforcement official has a photo of a possible suspect at the second bomb site. Patch will provide updates as they become available. South End Patch