Boston Bombing Suspect Admits Plans To Go To NYC

Were the Boston Marathon bombing suspects heading to New York?

Sources told CBS News on Tuesday that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, has admitted that he and his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were behind the bombings and that they had plans to go to Manhattan.

Investigators said the suspects may have set out for New York City if not for the death of Tamerlan and the eventual capture of Dzhokhar.

Authorities gained new insight about what the brothers may have been planning next after speaking with a carjacking victim who police said was held hostage by the suspects Thursday night, CBS News reported.

According to the criminal complaint against Dzhokhar released Monday, the suspects spoke to the victim in English about their role in the Boston Marathon bombing and then carried out the rest of their exchange in Russian.

“Did you hear about the Boston explosion? I did that,” one of the suspects told the victim, the affidavit said.

The Boston Globe reported they allegedly told the victim. “We just killed a cop. We blew up the marathon and now we are going to New York. Don’t [expletive] with us.”

That set off an alarm for authorities, who quickly halted Amtrak service from Boston to New York, searched trains and prompted the NYPD to “flip on its network of license plate readers at all bridges and tunnels coming into the city” to prevent the suspects from entering Manhattan, Miller said.

Meanwhile, the number of people injured in the bombings has been revised to 282 – up from the 170 reported last week.

New photos show the suspects in a wild gun battle with police in Watertown. First they are seen crouching for cover behind their stolen vehicle. Then they fired off a barrage of bullets at police officers down the block.

Moments later authorities said Tamerlan ran down the street with explosives in hand after police went to arrest him. Dzhokhar then allegedly drove the vehicle right at cops and ran over his brother, CBS 2′s Dick Brennan reported.

Witness Andrew Kitzenberg took the photos.

“I highlighted what looks like a spot on the picture, which is the older brother flying down the street,” he said.

U.S. investigators have traveled to Russia to talk to the parents of the suspect, including his mother, who said her sons are both innocent.

“What happened is a terrible thing,” said Zubeidat Tsarnaev. “But I know that my kids have nothing to do with this. I know it. I am mother. I know my kids. I know my kids.”

The brothers are ethnic Chechens from Russia who had been living in the U.S. for about a decade. Their sisters have broken their silence, releasing a statement through their lawyers Tuesday afternoon.

The statement on behalf of Ailina and Bella Tsarnaev reads:

“Our heart goes out [to] the victims of last week’s bombing. It saddens us to see so many innocent people hurt after such a callous act. As a family, we are absolutely devastated by the sense of loss and sorrow this has caused. We don’t have any answers but we look forward to a thorough investigation and hope to learn more. We ask the media to respect our privacy during this difficult time.”

Ailina Tsarnaev lives in West New York, N.J. where she is under police protection.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s 24-year-old widow, Katherine Russell, spoke to investigators on Friday. On Tuesday, her attorneys released a statement.
“The reports of involvement by her husband and brother-in-law came as an absolute shock to them all,” said attorney Miriam Weizenbaum.

Read more at CBS LOCAL.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}