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Parents Say Boston Bombing Suspects Are Innocent Parents Deny Sons’ Guilt and Accuse U.S. of Plot
(about 5 hours later)
MAKHACHKALA, Russia — The parents of the two brothers accused in the bomb attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260 near the finish line of the Boston Marathon insisted on Thursday that their sons were innocent and had no connection to radical Islam. MAKHACHKALA, Russia — The parents of the two brothers accused in the bomb attack that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others near the finish line of the Boston Marathon insisted on Thursday that their sons were innocent and had no connections to radical Islamists.
In an outpouring of anguish and anger at a news conference here in the capital of Dagestan, the brothers’ father, Anzor Tsarnaev, and mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, also made accusations of a conspiracy in which the American authorities murdered their older son, Tamerlan, after seizing him. In an outpouring of anguish and anger at a news conference here in the capital of Dagestan, a Russian republic on the Caspian Sea, the brothers’ father, Anzor Tsarnaev, and mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, also made accusations of a conspiracy in which the American authorities killed their older son, Tamerlan, after capturing him alive.
Officials in the United States have said that Tamerlan was shot during a wild standoff with the police and was run over by a car driven by his younger brother as he escaped from the scene. The younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured and has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction. He is recovering in a Boston hospital and may face the death penalty if convicted. Officials have also released video showing the brothers near the site of the marathon bombing. Officials in the United States have said that Tamerlan, 26, died after being shot during a standoff with the police in Watertown, Mass., and then run over by a vehicle driven by his younger brother as he escaped. The younger of the brothers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was captured and has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction. He is recovering in a Boston hospital and may face the death penalty if convicted. Officials have also released video showing the brothers near the site of the bombing.
Despite this evidence, and after two days of questioning by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation here, Ms. Tsarnaeva said she would not accept that her sons were guilty. Despite this evidence, and after two days of questioning by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents here, Ms. Tsarnaeva said she could not accept that her sons were guilty.
“No I don’t — and I won’t,” she snapped at the news conference. “Never!” “No, I don’t — and I won’t,” she said. “Never!”
During an emotional, nearly hourlong question-and-answer session, the parents addressed many of the questions that investigators and the American public have been asking in the anxious, unsettled days after the bombing, insisting their sons were not religious radicals or connected to any terrorist organization. During an emotional question-and-answer session that lasted nearly an hour, the parents addressed many of the questions that investigators and the American public have been asking in the anxious days after the bombing, declaring that their sons were not religious radicals and were not connected to any militant organizations.
Their answers were often a mixture of denial and conspiracy theory. Their answers were a mixture of denials and conspiracy accusations. They seemed exhausted, their grief raw. They expressed concern about Dzhokhar, but did not offer any condolences to the victims in Boston. Ms.Tsarnaeva — who at times sobbed, raised her voice and pounded a table for emphasis — said she was considering giving up her American citizenship.
In one dramatic moment, Ms. Tsarnaeva said that F.B.I. agents who came to the family’s home in Massachusetts to question Tamerlan about his religious views had asked her if she worried that he might commit an act of terrorism. In one dramatic moment, Ms. Tsarnaeva said the F.B.I. agents who went to the family’s home in Massachusetts to question Tamerlan about his religious views had asked her if she worried that he might commit an act of terrorism.
“Actually, they told me, don’t you think that Tamerlan is being a little bit, you know, like, extreme about religion?” she said. “Do you think that he would think about organizing some kind of, you know ——” She broke off and stumbled over her words. “Probably that was their meaning: terroristic, terrorism or whatever, aggression.” “Actually they told me, ‘Don’t you think that Tamerlan is being a little bit, you know, like, extreme about religion?’ ” she said. “ ‘Do you think that he would think about organizing some kind of, you know — ’ ”
“Do you see any aggression in Tamerlan?” she said, quoting the agents. “No, I did not. I did not. I really did not see any reason to worry.” She broke off and then stumbled over her words. “Probably that was their meaning,” she continued. “Terroristic, terrorism or whatever, aggression.”
Ms. Tsarnaeva said that she was considering giving up her American citizenship. “ ‘Do you see any aggression in Tamerlan?’ ” she quoted the agents as saying. “No, I did not. I did not. I really did not see any reason to worry.”
She said that in the days after the Boston bombing she had seen what she described as video footage on the Internet appearing to show Tamerlan alive and being put into a police car, naked, apparently stripped to check for explosives. The next day, she said, she saw gruesome images of his dead body. She said that in the days after the bombing she saw what she described as video footage on the Internet that showed a man that she said was Tamerlan being put into a police car naked, apparently stripped of his clothes to check for explosives. The next day, she said, she saw gruesome images of his corpse.
“Killed, truly killed,” she said, describing the images. “I wanted to scream, to scream to the whole world: ‘What did you do? What have you done with my son?’ He was alive. Why did they need to kill him? Why not send him to Guantánamo or whatever? Why did they kill him? Why did they have to kill him? They got him alive. He was in their hands.”“Killed, truly killed,” she said, describing the images. “I wanted to scream, to scream to the whole world: ‘What did you do? What have you done with my son?’ He was alive. Why did they need to kill him? Why not send him to Guantánamo or whatever? Why did they kill him? Why did they have to kill him? They got him alive. He was in their hands.”
The parents spoke alternately in Russian and English, sometimes starting a sentence in one language and finishing in the other. Mr. Tsarnaev wore dark sunglasses, while Ms. Tsarnaeva wore a head scarf, which is customary among many women in this predominantly Muslim region. The parents said they regretted having lived in the United States but wanted to return soon to see Dzhokhar, though they expressed fears that they would not be allowed to see him until he was in prison.
They said that they regretted having lived in the United States, but that they wanted to travel back soon see Dzhokhar, though they expressed fear that they would not be allowed to see him until he was put in prison. “Yes, I would prefer not to live in America now. Like, why did I even go there — why?” Ms. Tsarnaeva said, breaking into tears and sobs. “I thought America was going to, like, protect us, our kids. It was going to be safe for any reason. But it happened the opposite. My kids — America took my kids away from me — only America.”
“Yes, I would prefer not to live in America now. Like, why did I even go there — why?” Ms. Tsarnaeva said, nearly breaking into tears. “I thought America was going to, like, protect us, our kids, it was going to be safe for any reason. But it happened the opposite. My kids — America took my kids away from me — only America. So why wouldn’t I regret? Why?”
“I don’t know,” she said, regaining her composure. “I am sure that my kids were not involved in anything.”“I don’t know,” she said, regaining her composure. “I am sure that my kids were not involved in anything.”
Anzor Tsarnaev responded sharply to a reporter who asked why Tamerlan had felt that he did not fit in among Americans, once saying he did not have any friends. Mr. Tsarnaev responded sharply to a reporter who asked why Tamerlan had felt that he did not fit in among Americans, once saying he did not have any friends.
“That’s not true,” Mr. Tsarnaev said. “He have a lot of friends. I know these friends.” “That’s not true,” Mr. Tsarnaev said, “He have a lot of friends. I know these friends.”
Ms. Tsarnaeva jumped in to say that Tamerlan had meant he did not have a best friend. “It does not mean that he did not fit in America,” she said.Ms. Tsarnaeva jumped in to say that Tamerlan had meant he did not have a best friend. “It does not mean that he did not fit in America,” she said.
The parents said the F.B.I. agents who questioned them had been most interested in Tamerlan’s six-month visit to Dagestan last year, which they said had been undertaken so that he could obtain a Russian passport. Although he was born in Russia, Tamerlan had traveled on a passport from Kyrgyzstan, where the family lived, that was about to expire. They said he needed a Russian passport because he did not have American citizenship. The parents said the F.B.I. agents who questioned them in the past two days had been most interested in Tamerlan’s six-month visit to Dagestan last year, which they said had been undertaken so that he could obtain a Russian passport.
Ms. Tsarnaeva reacted furiously to a questioner who said Dzhokhar had told officials the brothers were motivated by extremist Islam. “I’ll answer,” she said. “They told me yesterday that he was not questioned yet,” she said of her son’s lawyers. “Where does this information come from? Where does this information come from?” Although he was born in Russia, Tamerlan had traveled on a passport from Kyrgyzstan, where the family had lived, that was about to expire. They said he needed a Russian passport because he did not have American citizenship.
“Where does this information come from?” she shouted again. And while the parents insisted that his visit was focused on trying to get a passport, visiting relatives and helping his father, they confirmed that he worshiped occasionally at a mosque popular among Salafist Muslims. Dagestan has been riven by violence because of a split between Salfists and more tolerant Sufis.

Andrew Roth and Viktor Klimenko contributed reporting from Makhachkala.

Ms. Tsarnaeva expressed some of her greatest anger when one questioner said Dzhokhar had told officials that the brothers were motivated by an extreme interpretation of Islam. She said Dzhokhar’s lawyers had assured her that he could not yet speak or write.
“Where does this information come from?” she shouted.

Andrew Roth and Viktor Klimenko contributed reporting.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: April 25, 2013Correction: April 25, 2013

An earlier version of this article misspelled, on one reference, the younger suspect’s first name. It is Dzhokhar, not Dzhokar.

An earlier version of this article misspelled, on one reference, the younger suspect’s first name. It is Dzhokhar, not Dzhokar.