Dzhokhar Tsarnaev
Dzhokhar Anzorovich Tsarnaev (born July 22, 1993) is an American terrorist of Chechen and Avar descent who was convicted of the Boston Marathon bombing. On April 15, 2013, Tsarnaev and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, planted pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The bombs detonated, killing three people and injuring 264 others.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev | |
|---|---|
| Джохар Царнаев | |
Passport photo of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev released during 2013 manhunt | |
| Born | Dzhokhar Anzorovich Tsarnaev July 22, 1993 Tokmok, Kyrgyzstan or Dagestan, Russia |
| Other names | Jahar Tsarnaev |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | Cambridge Rindge and Latin School |
| Alma mater | University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (incomplete mechanical engineering program) |
| Known for | Boston Marathon bombing |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated at ADX Florence |
| Parent(s) | Anzor Tsarnaev (father) Zubeidat Tsarnaeva (mother) |
| Relatives |
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| Conviction(s) | Use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 2332a) (2 counts) Use of a weapon of mass destruction (18 U.S.C. § 2332a) (4 counts) Conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 2332a) Bombing a place of public use resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 2332a) (2 counts) Conspiracy to bomb a place of public use resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 2332a) Maliciously destroying property resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 844) (2 counts) Conspiracy to maliciously destroy property resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 844) Carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury (18 U.S.C. § 2119) Use of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death (18 U.S.C. § 924) (9 counts) Use of a firearm during a crime of violence (18 U.S.C. § 924) (6 counts) Interfering with commerce by threats or violence (18 U.S.C. § 1951) |
| Criminal penalty | Death (de jure) |
On April 18, 2013, the Tsarnaev brothers attacked and killed MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. During an ensuing shootout with police, Dzhokhar was injured and Tamerlan died. A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Police officer was critically injured in the course of the Tsarnaevs' escape. On the evening of April 19, after thousands of police officers conducted a manhunt in Watertown, Massachusetts, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was located hiding in a boat in the backyard of a resident, was shot, and was taken into custody. During a subsequent interrogation, Tsarnaev said he and his brother intended to also detonate explosives in New York City's Times Square. He has said that his crimes were inspired, in part, by Anwar al-Awlaki.
Tsarnaev was tried and convicted of 30 counts and was subsequently sentenced to death. His death sentence was vacated on appeal in July 2020, but the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in March 2022. As of 2024, he was being held on death row at a federal supermax prison in Colorado.