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SURVIVORS OF THE Boston Marathon bombing will watch as the young man who could face the death penalty for the attack appears in court for the first time since he was found bleeding and hiding in a boat in a suburb days after the April 15th explosion.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in federal court in Boston. He has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction in the bombings that killed three people and wounded more than 260.
The courthouse is expected to be jammed for 19-year-old Tsarnaev’s appearance. A spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office said space is being reserved in the main courtroom for victims’ families, but she wouldn’t indicate how many planned to attend. Court officials have set aside an overflow courtroom to broadcast the hearing for the media.
Reporters and spectators began lining up for seats in the courtroom at 7:30 a.m. as a dozen Federal Protective Service officers and bomb-sniffing dogs surrounded the courthouse.
Four hours before the hearing, Tsarnaev arrived at the courthouse in a four-vehicle motorcade that included a van, a Humvee and a state police car.
The van carrying Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to court was heavily guarded by state police and U.S. Marshals (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
A group of about a dozen Tsarnaev supporters cheered as the motorcade arrived. The demonstrators yelled “Justice for Jahar,” as Tsarnaev is known. One woman held a sign that said, “Free Jahar.”
Lacey Buckley, 23, said she traveled from her home in Wenatchee, Washington, to attend the arraignment. Buckley said she has never met Tsarnaev but came because she believes he’s innocent. “I just think so many of his rights were violated. They almost murdered an unarmed kid in a boat,” she said.
Brittney Gillis, a student at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, where Tsarnaev attended, came to the courthouse because she wanted to see the suspect. She said he used to walk her friend home in the evenings because he was worried about her being alone.
“He would walk her from the campus library to her dorm at night,” she said.
Tsarnaev has yet to appear publicly since his April 19 arrest. His initial court appearance took place at a hospital, where he was recovering from injuries suffered in a shootout with police the day before in the Boston suburb of Watertown.
Authorities say he had escaped in a hijacked car after running over his brother and alleged co-conspirator, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who died following the shootout with police. But he was found the next day after a lockdown in Watertown was lifted and a local homeowner noticed blood on the dry-docked boat.
A supporter of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev outside the Boston courthouse prior to his arraignment. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Tsarnaev’s arrest stunned those who knew him as a likeable high school athlete in Cambridge, where he lived with his older brother after his parents left for Russia.
His parents were in Makhachkala, in the southern Russian province of Dagestan, on Wednesday. His mother declined to comment.
Prosecutors say Tsarnaev, a Muslim, wrote about his motivations for the bombing on the inside walls and beams of the boat where he was hiding.
He wrote the U.S. government was “killing our innocent civilians.”
“I don’t like killing innocent people,” he said, but also wrote: “I can’t stand to see such evil go unpunished. … We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all.”
The indictment also said that, sometime before the bombings, Tsarnaev downloaded Internet material from Islamic extremists that advocated violence against the perceived enemies of Islam.
Three people — Martin Richard, 8; Krystle Marie Campbell, 29; and Lingzi Lu, 23 — were killed by the bombs, which were improvised from pressure cookers. Authorities say the Tsarnaevs also killed Massachusetts Institute of Technology officer Sean Collier days later while they were on the run.
Numerous bombing victims had legs amputated after the two explosions, which detonated along the final stretch of the race a couple hours after the elite runners had finished.
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Enough of this False flag stupidity, he is a terrorist
@steve
How do you know he wasn’t set up if you had even a dogs notion of what a false flag was you would see this has all the hallmarks
Fagan he is getting his day in open court. I would suggest holding your piece about being set up until we hear what he has to say himself.
Fagan, take your tin foil cap off.
@mick
I’m curious to know how others commenting on here are so sure of his guilt he has been accused of a horrific crime along with his brother but due process is gone out the window
He was involved in a shooting incident that left a Police Officer dead and was further involved in a shooting incident that left his brother dead and led to his own capture. So even removing the bombing from the equation there is overwhelming evidence that both him and his brother were involved in the later incidents.
Of course he was set up, It’s all some global conspiracy to keep the people of the world in the shackles of war. Ideological nutcases don’t exist they are always patsies.
@ mick
What proof do you have he shot the cop seriously if the screen in the sitting room tells you he did it in this day and age that’s enough to convince people without trial the way it’s going people would be ok if suspects were shot on sight because they were in the area
@ onlybuzzn
Excuse me for trying to stand up for people’s rights. What happened to innocent till proven guilty
Fagan, the grand jury has seen the evidence and says it is strong enough to go to court with, this is not a conviction but he has some serious explaining to do.
There are eye witnesses that saw them attempt to rob the shop shooting the police officer and carjacking their getaway car plus their are eye witnesses that saw and video of the shootout that saw the brother killed.
They weren’t robbing the shop… They were unfortunate enough to be in the store during a holdup, and were then recognized on camera as the suspects. Amazing how short people’s memories can be!
Fagan, cop on! He is getting his due process.
Don’t feed the trolls!
Fagan is hilarious! He has commented on another article about a 19 year old up in court for severely assaulting another man. He’s refers to such people as “dirtbags”.
Now fagan may I ask you what evidence do you have against this 19 year old and what about due process and him being innocent till proven guilty?
You just want to stick it to the Americans. Don’t you.
@ Fagan
You really are just a trolling prat
@ Declan
Not in the mainstream media he’s not or from many of the commenters on the journal
@ mick
The only credible witness is the accused and as you said let’s see what he had to say
@declan
I never said he was innocent or guilty I said he was a dirtbag because he was caught red handed
Who are you to decide who is a credible witness and who is not.
Fagan, caught red handed? Show me the evidence. Were you there?
Fagan, after this trial is over and after the evidence has been presented. When the judge and jury have made their decision either way. Will you be around to tell us your thoughts and if your satisfied or will you claim conspiracy???
Declare. Even better if he pleads GUILTY. Where will the conspiracy folks be then. Will they come back here and say “oops got it wrong”.
@mick
Are you trying to say the accused is not a credible witness what kind of BS is that & who are you to question me
Fagan you are a dumbass of the highest order!! Haha
No. What you are saying that all the other eye witnesses are not credible. And my question to you was and is what qualifies you to decide if those eye witnesses are credible or not.
@ Declan
He was arrested at the scene no investigation strait to court in the morning red handed
But I think your are all doing your best to avoid my first comment that Boston was a false flag
Fagan what proof do You have that it was a False Flag operation apart from your own speculations?
@ mick
How about the fact they were announcing there was a bomb drill going on at the start of the race your going to tell me that’s no suspicious
Fagan, fagan, fagan. At every major outdoors event and indoors there are systems in place for any and all emergencies.
Since 9/11 there’s been more and more. A few weeks after the Boston marothon there was a marathon in the town I live in and the focus was on a bomb going off.
They made a change that all participants had to have their gear in see through bags.
Now are you going to say that off something did happen it was a false flag also?
Have you ever been to a concert? Do you ever notice the security? Would you consider that to be a false flag?
It’s called emergency preparedness.
That’s all that they were doing at the Boston marathon but you twist this into a conspiracy!
Your dumb!
@declan
I have never been anywhere any event that were running bomb drills
Your real brave over the net with the insults you don’t see me insulting anyone just trying to have a debate but I guess your not man enough for that
Fagan, I’m not hiding behind a fake name and pic. How brave are you?
You are not debating. You are spreading conspiracy theories and falsehoods.
And fagan, as for not being at a event where there is bomb drills, well obviously you don’t live over here because they are a reality.
As I said there was a marathon in the town that I live in and “bomb” was in the thoughts of the organizers and they put a plan in place.
It’s called emergency preparedness!!!
@ Declan
For the record my name is fagan, see your not as clever as you think you are that’s why you resort to ridicule and insults
And its not just on marathons and events. We actually do major drill at least once a year and small once in between. So no surprise on sniffing dogs there.
Fagan, I can only show ridicule to someone who only puts forth conspiracy theories as evidence.
Fagan. Still waiting for your answer as to what makes you qualified to decide who is credible and who isn’t.
@ Declan
The only evidence I put foward you agreed with so your really not making any sense at this stage
Mick
As I said before who are you to question me ?
And your first name is fagan as well?
Declan……….Why are you so interested in what my name is
Really what has that got to do with anything there are countless people on here that use pictures other than there own face do you question them to be honest it’s just weird that your so curious
My name is fagan I’m currently wearing black boxers does that satisfy your weird obsession with who I am
Fagan, you made a comment about me being brave over the Internet and I responded that I wasn’t hiding behind a fake name and pic. If you felt true to your convictions you would not be hiding behind a made up persona.
What or who are you afraid of?
Yourself, b Lowe, golden arms, petr tarasov and others are writing from the shadows.
Now I’m going to enjoy a nice cold beer now. Good night to you.
@ Declan
I see your keeping tabs on a few of us “shadow people ”
Whatever floats your boat man
Enjoy your beer
You are the one questioning the veracity of the eye witnesses not me. So I ask again what makes you qualified to make the claim that “the accused is the only credible witness”.
Mick.
Simple answer the accused is the only person that we know for sure is witness to the aftermath of the bombing , as in the chase, shoot out capture therefore it is my opinion that he is the most credible of the witnesses
Do you get what I’m saying
So the shop assistant in the shop they attempted to rob didn’t identify them nor did the person whom they initially took hostage while hijacking their car or the people living in the houses that observed the shootout between the brothers and Police and of course the Police themselves that were involved in the shootout are not credible?
There credible in the part they played but the accused was present to all of it the shop assistant wasn’t in the boat therefore the accused would be the most credible witness to the over all story only he knows if he did it or not
Fagan, ha! Ha! So he is the only credible witness because only he was in the boat?! Wow! So the owner of the house who spotted him in the boat is not a credible witness to him being in the boat?! And the police officers or who ever pulled him out of the boat and put him in a ambulance are not credible witnesses to him being in the boat?
You should offer yourself as his Defence attorney.
Please continue as I’m starting to laugh at you.
“Only he knows if he did it or not”?!
If I ever get pulled over for speeding I shall use that as a Defence.
“Well your honour it was only me in the car so it can only be me who knows if I was speeding or not”
Btw, have you ever heard of forensic evidence, DNA, finger prints, the paper trail showing that they bought the stuff to make the bomb, witnesses?
Did you even read what I wrote Declan …. Everyone is credible to the part they played but how do you even know that they planted the bomb granted there are pics of them at the marathon how do you even know there is evidence linking them to the bombing What DNA do you know that they have what witness do you know that can give evidence their the bombers is there CCTV of them setting it off ???… Do you have inside info cause if you do I really want to hear it
Mick, have a look at the latest article on the journal about a explosive device in drimnagh. Fagan is commenting on it and is so sure of the culprits. Similar situation in America and he calls it a false flag.
The man is just contradicting himself.
False flag or not, his injuries are a mystery. Shot in the neck and unlikely to ever speak due to a damaged larynx. Well able to say ‘Not guilty’ a lot of times. Ah the old larynx heals quickly. His arm though still needs a sling. Am I the only one who finds this odd? Conspiracy theories aside.
He deserves everything he gets and for those who say he’s innocent wake up and smell the coffee
@geraldine
Have you some inside info on his guilt how do you know they did it
Please explain your evidence
Would’ve been great had they made it to Time Square :-)
So Enda you believe they set off the Boston bombs?
I have no idea. I was working in one of hospitals nearby at the time, and dealt with some of the wounded. The media coverage was crazy. There were 2 other students – completely innocent by the way- that were named as suspects the next day, before officials retracted their statements later on. To be honest, I was astonished that the police and FBI etc didn’t shoot more innocent people… I have never seen so many guns and armed officers in my life.
So what pray tell did you mean by “wouldn’t it be great if they made it to Times Square”.
I hope the right people get their hands on him
So,Did they shoot the other guy a few days later or was that a set-up too Fagen.
Get a grip! He and his brother are Muslim fanatical murderers who killed an innocent child and two others and maimed several others. Tosser deserves life in solitary confinement.
As its federal I hope when proven guilty he gets the needle.
The needle would be too good for him. Life without possibility to be served in general population.
Not sure if I want to keep paying to feed him, make sure he’s healthy for 40 plus years though. But you are right needle is too easy and peaceful for him.
Maria. How long do you think he would last in general population. He would either become someone’s play thing or be killed a lot more painfully than the needle.
They will put him in solitary confinement where he’s protected. He will be housed, feed make sure he have the finest medical attention.
@fagan you want me to give you evidence I think everyone with a brain and common sense has just answered for me…
The problem with with some people is EVERYTHING is a false flag nowadays. I myself would believe in some conspirsories but not them all. In an age where nobody can keep a secret, it’s bull to think the government are behind everything. Also I honestly believe there are good people in the intelligence agencies.
have your say