Boston Marathon bombing

"Boston attack" redirects here. For the incident in 1770, see Boston Massacre.
"Boston bomber" redirects here. For the Douglas Boston bomber aircraft, see Douglas A-20 Havoc.

Boston Marathon bombing
Moments after the first explosion
Bomb locations/marathon route
LocationBoston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DateApril 15, 2013; 11 years ago (2013-04-15)
2:49 p.m. (EDT)
Attack type
Bombings, domestic terrorism[1]
WeaponsTwo pressure cooker bombs
Deaths6 total:
  • 3 from the initial bombing
  • MIT Police Officer Sean Allen Collier on April 18
  • Terrorist Tamerlan Tsarnaev on April 19
  • Police Officer Dennis Simmonds in 2014
Injured281
Victims
Perpetrators
MotiveRevenge for American military action in Iraq and Afghanistan[2][3]

The Boston Marathon bombing, sometimes referred to as simply the Boston bombing,[4] was an Islamist domestic terrorist attack that took place during the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev planted two homemade pressure cooker bombs that detonated near the finish line of the race 14 seconds and 210 yards (190 m) apart. Three people were killed and hundreds injured, including 17 who lost their limbs.[1][5][6]

On April 18, 2013, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released images of two suspects in the bombing.[7][8][9] The two suspects were later identified as the Tsarnaev brothers. Later on the evening of April 18, the Tsarnaev brothers killed an MIT policeman (Sean Collier) and proceeded to commit a carjacking. They engaged in a shootout with police in nearby Watertown during which two officers were severely injured (one of the injured officers, Dennis Simmonds, died a year later). Tamerlan was shot several times, and his brother Dzhokhar ran him over while escaping in the stolen car. Tamerlan died soon thereafter.

An unprecedented search for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ensued, with thousands of law enforcement officers searching a 20-block area of Watertown.[10] Residents of Watertown and surrounding communities were asked to stay indoors, and the transportation system and most businesses and public places closed.[11][12] After a Watertown resident discovered Dzhokhar hiding in a boat in his backyard,[13] Tsarnaev was shot and wounded by police before being taken into custody on the evening of April 19.[14][15]

During questioning, Dzhokhar said that he and his brother were motivated by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that they were self-radicalized and unconnected to any outside terrorist groups, and that he was following his brother's lead. He said they learned to build explosive devices from the online magazine of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.[16] He also said they had intended to travel to New York City to bomb Times Square. He was convicted of 30 charges, including use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.[17][18][19]

Two months later, he was sentenced to death,[20] but the sentence was vacated by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.[21] A writ of certiorari was granted by the Supreme Court of the United States, which considered the questions of whether the lower court erred in vacating the death sentence. After hearing arguments as United States v. Tsarnaev, the Court upheld the death penalty, reversing the First Circuit Court's decision.[22][23]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYDN-5/15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference cbs20130516 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Boston bombing: Tsarnaev's death sentence could be reinstated". March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference globe-number-injured was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn-what-we-know was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Clark Estes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference AutoLC-4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference AutoLC-6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference AutoLC-7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  13. ^ "Two unnamed officials say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, did not have a gun when he was captured Friday in a Watertown, Mass. backyard. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said earlier that shots were fired from inside the boat." The Associated Press Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 8:42 PM.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference NY Times Standoff was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ O'Neill, Ann (March 4, 2015). "Tsarnaev trial: Timeline of the bombings, manhunt and aftermath". CNN.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference AutoLC-8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference DOJ affidavit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference AutoLC-9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: Boston Marathon bomber found guilty". BBC News. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  20. ^ "What Happened To Dzhokhar Tsarnaev? Update On Boston Marathon Bomber Sentenced To Death". International Business Times. April 16, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference cnn appeal july312020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "United States v. Tsarnaev". Oyez. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).