Unanswered questions about Boston bombing suspects
As prosecutors prepare to charge 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the deadly twin bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon, investigative media are delving into numerous unanswered questions surrounding the attack and the brothers believed to have carried it out. For example:
1- What transpired during overseas trips of Tamerlan? Jeff Black of NBC News poses seven BIG unanswered questions about the bombings, for example the details of the six-month trip that Tamerlan Tsarnaev took in January 2012 to Russia. Rep. Michael McCaul, the Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called it 'disturbing' that the Chechen immigrant was 'on the FBI radar' in 2011 but was deemed to not be a risk to national security.
2- Did the FBI drop the ball? The Guardian reports that The FBI is now facing questions over its prior handling of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, with senior congressional figures demanding answers and accusing the agency of "dropping the ball". Huffington Post reports that in 2011 the Russian FSB intelligence security service shared with the FBI that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was a follower of radical Islam. The FBI admits that it conducted interviews with Tamerlan in the summer of 2011. Daily Mail reports that Russia asked FBI to investigate bomber just 6 months ago after being spotted with 'a militant' on trip to Dagestan. A right-wing Israeli security and intelligence website debkafile, however, alleges that the brothers were indeed recruited by FBI or other US agencies to penetrate a jihadist network but instead, they betrayed their mission and went secretly over to the radical Islamist networks. Debkafile writes: "An elite American college in Cambridge admitted younger brother Dzhokhar and granted him a $2,500 scholarship, without subjecting him to the exceptionally stiff standard conditions of admission. This may be explained by his older brother Tamerlan demanding this privilege for his kid brother in part payment for recruitment."
3- How did the alleged terrorists have such a "normal" life and behavior? Dzhokhar, who became a naturalized citizen last year, is almost universally described as a well-adjusted and smart teen. Friends also say the brothers didn’t espouse violence or appear to be radicalized muslims. One TV report indicated Dzhokhar was into pop culture, parties and animated movies like "Finding Nemo" but the TV reporter concluded Dzhokhar's behavior indicated signs of "extremism!" Tamerlan and Dzhokhar's mother continues to strongly deny that her children are terrorists.
4- Why didn’t the brothers flee after the bombings? Investigators continue to probe Dzhokhar's behavior after he returned to the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth on Tuesday and resumed the life of a student. Tamerlan also was said to have returned to his Cambridge home before a fatal chase and gunbattle with police in Watertown.
5- How did Tamerlan Tsarnaev die? Tamerlan Tsarnaev was reportedly killed during a ferocious gunbattle early Friday with Police, but there are questions about the role of his brother and nature of his death. Officials have not yet determined how he died.
