[Last update 7:28 p.m. EST. LIVE updates below.] · One Boston Marathon bombing suspect is dead, the other is the target of a massive manhunt. They were brothers, originally from the Russian region near Chechnya, before ending up in the Boston area.
· The surviving suspect has been identified by news organizations as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, who had been living in Cambridge just outside Boston. The older suspect’s name was Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
· The brothers have been living legally in the U.S. for at least one year, possibly as long as 10 years.
Earlier updates below:
UPDATE 7:28 p.m. ET — WFXT-TV, citing sources: “Suspect is alive, surrounded by law enforcement, but still moving.”
UPDATE 7:24 p.m. ET — Fox News producer: “We heard gunshots…cop cars started screaming down the street…there’s a lot of activity. We’re stuck here right now, police have locked down the area.”
WFXT is airing footage of families evacuating the area.
UPDATE 7:05 p.m. ET — Local Fox affiliate station WFXT-TV is reporting “suspect down” on Franklin St. in Watertown, Mass.
UPDATE 6:22 p.m. ET — Massachusetts State Police say the suspect ditched the car that he was using in the chase and fled on foot. Col. Alben of State Police says the effort was there today; unfortunately the result wasn’t.
“No direct knowledge that he’s here in the Boston area but I don’t think he’d get much further.” Notes suspect’s ties in the state.
UPDATE 6:09 p.m. ET — Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says request to remain indoors ”is lifted but remain vigilant.”
UPDATE 6:05 p.m. ET – Massachusetts State Police: “We do not have an apprehension of our suspect this afternoon, but we will have one.”
Went through 20 streets, door to door. Have followed a number of leads, none fruitful.
“We are going to draw back our tactical teams but the state police will be providing additional patrols for the next few days.” Says “committed” to seeing conclusion to this case.
UPDATE 5:58 p.m. ET — One Boston woman writes that the bombing suspects’ mother was her facialist — read about it here.
UPDATE 5:30 p.m. ET – A news conference on the manhunt is expected to get underway any moment.
UPDATE 4:52 p.m. ET – CNN just aired audio of the suspects’ mother declaring, “This is a set-up.”
UPDATE 4:44 p.m. ET – Massachusetts State Police say, contrary to earlier reports, the bombing suspects are not suspected in the late Thursday night robbery of a Cambridge 7-11, thought to have kicked off the deadly chain of events, WBZ-TV reports.
UPDATE 4:37 p.m. ET – CNN reports 15 other police officers received minor injuries in the shootout with suspects; all have been released.
UPDATE 4:17 p.m. ET – The Boston Globe reports that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ran over his wounded brother with a car as he fled police.
A purported photo of the body of deceased Tamerlan Tsarnaev has surfaced online.
UPDATE 4:15 p.m. ET – NBC News reports manhunt efforts solely focused on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – no third person.
Boston manhunt now focused solely on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, despite earlier fears by authorities of a 3rd person.
UPDATE 4:10 p.m. ET – BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith details why Chechens think the bombing suspects were framed.
UPDATE 3:46 p.m. ET – Boston police: vehicle found
Vehicle (MA Plate: 116-GC7) has been found. Police no longer looking for this car. http://t.co/5DHQYKG0LJ
UPDATE 3:43 p.m. ET – Pressure cooker bomb was thrown at police; pipe bombs found at Norfolk St. home in Cambridge, CBS News reports.
CBS News: Package thrown at police in Cambridge was pressure cooker bomb, search of Norfolk St. home in Cambridge uncovered pipe bombs.
UPDATE 3:41 p.m. ET – Fox News just aired a broadcast interview with the suspects’ father, translated from Russian.
“Someone clearly framed them, I don’t know who framed them…but they framed them and then they shot the boy dead…I’m scared for my son, for his life. They should arrest him and bring him alive,” the father said, according to a translator.
UPDATE 3:05 p.m. ET – The Boston Red Sox game scheduled for tonight has been canceled.
UPDATE 3:02 p.m. ET – Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth – where he is a registered student – this week after the marathon bombing, the Associated Press reports.
UPDATE 2:49 p.m. ET – The White House has released this photo of President Obama meeting with national security team members including FBI Director Robert Mueller, White House counterterrorism adviser Lisa Monaco, Attorney General Eric Holder, Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken and Vice President Joe Biden:
UPDATE 2:45 p.m. ET – Multiple reports have surfaced about Tamerlan Tsarnaev possibly being married and having a 3-year-old daughter.
UPDATE 2:37 p.m. ET – More car information from the Massachusetts State Police: Wrong model of Honda. Suspects were in Civic, not CRV.
UPDATE 2:19 p.m. ET – More details about the Tsarnaev brothers, per CNN:
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, the Boston Marathon attack suspect now at large, came to the United States on July 1, 2002, at age 8 on a tourist visa, a federal source said. While here, he sought asylum and became a citizen on September 11, 2012.
His older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed in a shootout with police overnight, came to the United States four years after his brother, on Sept. 6, 2006, at the age of 20, the source said. He came legally but was not naturalized. He was a green card holder and in the country lawfully.
UPDATE 2:17 p.m. ET – Suspects’ aunt to reporters: Older (deceased) brother Tamerlan hadn’t been a devout Muslim until about two years ago, when he “started praying five times a day.
UPDATE 2:10 p.m. ET – Boston police now looking for another car: Police seeking MA Plate: 116-GC7, ’99 Honda Sedan, Color – Green. Possible suspect car. Do not approach.
UPDATE 1:50 p.m. ET – Boston police are expected to conduct a controlled explosion at the suspects’ apartment on Norfolk St. in Cambridge.
UPDATE 1:36 p.m. ET – Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency director Kurt Schwarz says while many people heeded warnings to stay in their homes, a large number went to work this morning before hearing the message. They need to get in their cars, call taxis or call friends and go home and shelter there – not stay at work.
UPDATE 1:26 p.m. ET – FBI agents are at the New Jersey home of the sister of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, the Associated Press reports.
UPDATE 12:57 p.m. ET – Former FBI agent Clint Van Zandt tells MSNBC that the decision by police to hold controlled demolitions in Cambridge could indicate a space might be booby-trapped or it could just be precautionary. It could also be done so officers can gain access to other areas.
UPDATE 12:47 p.m. ET – NBC News reports additional details about the carjacking and shootout ended with the death of one of the suspected bombers. They reportedly told the driver of the Mercedes SUV they were behind the marathon bombings, then tried to use his cash card to withdraw money from three ATMs. The suspects ultimately released the driver unharmed at a Cambridge gas station:
As they sped toward Watertown, a police chase ensued and the suspects tossed explosive devices out the window, officials said.
There was a long exchange of gunfire, according to Andrew Kitzenberg of Watertown, who took photos of the clash from his window and spread them on social media.
“They were also utilizing bombs, which sounded and looked like grenades, while engaging in the gunfight,” he told NBC News in an interview. “They also had what looked like a pressure-cooker bomb.
“I saw them light this bomb. They threw it towards the officers,” he said. “There was smoke that covered our entire street.” […]
Kitzenberg said he saw the firefight end when Tamerlan Tsarnaev ran toward the officers and ultimately fell to the ground…[he] had an improvised explosive device strapped to his chest, law enforcement officials said.
Dzhokhar…drove the SUV through a line of police officers at the end of the street, Kitzenberg said.
UPDATE 12:35 p.m. ET — Boston Police: “We are progressing through this neighborhood, going door to door, street to street.”
No developments on the search itself — “no apprehension at this point.”
UPDATE 12:20 p.m. ET –
The father said he spoke to his sons by phone earlier this week. “We talked about the bombing. I was worried about then,” Anzor Tsarnaev said.
He said his sons reassured him, saying, “Everything is good, Daddy. Everything is very good.”
The elder Tsarnaev insisted that his sons were innocent, but said he would appeal to his son to “surrender peacefully.”“Give up. Give up. You have a bright future ahead of you. Come home to Russia,” the dad said.
The father warned, however, “If they killed him, then all hell would break loose.”
UPDATE 11:29 a.m. ET — Ruslan Tsarni, uncle of the two bombing suspects, said from his home in Maryland: “If you’re alive, turn yourself in and ask for forgiveness…He put a shame on the Tsarni family and put a shame on the entire Chechen ethnicity.”
Tsarni said, “I respect this country, I love this country.”
UPDATE 11:21 a.m. ET — Awaiting Massachusetts State Police news briefing; White House press briefing previously scheduled for noon has been delayed.
UPDATE 11:09 a.m. ET — Secretary of State John Kerry says, “I think it’s fair to say this entire week we’ve been in pretty direct confrontation with evil.
UPDATE 10:59 a.m. ET – State Police: Suspect abandoned car and is believed to have fled on foot.
UPDATE 10:30 a.m. ET — President Obama and Vice President Biden were briefed in the White House Situation Room starting at 9:45 a.m., those participating included FBI Director Robert Mueller, CIA Director John Brennan, Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Secretary of State John Kerry.
UPDATE 10:13 a.m. ET – CT State Police have been alerted to look out for a gray Honda CRV Massachusetts plate 316-ES9.
UPDATE 10:03 a.m. ET – From the Boston Globe:
The Tsarnaev family moved to Dagestan from Kyrgyzstan in 2001, a spokesman at a school the children attended told Russia Today […]
“He arrived at our school in first grade and left in second,” Irina Bandurina, the secretary at Makhachkala’s School No.1, told RT. “They arrived from Kyrgyzstan and departed to the US. I’m telling you they lived here for a year. Not the whole year. They arrived at the school in 2001 and departed in March 2002 … There were four of them – two sisters and two brothers… It’s written here that they are from Kyrgyzstan. They are Chechens.”
UPDATE 9:41 a.m. – The Cambridge Chronicle reports that the MIT officer killed in last night’s shooting was Sean Collier, 26, of Somerville, Mass. Photo here.
UPDATE 9:36 a.m. ET – This is the most recent photo the FBI has released of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev:
UPDATE 9:32 a.m. ET – From Boston.com: “High school yearbook photo of bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.”
UPDATE 9:10 a.m. ET – The Associated Press reports that the father of the two bombing suspects, Anzor Tsarnaev, said by telephone from Russia that his son who remains on the loose is a smart, accomplished young man:
“My son is a true angel,” the elder Tsarnaev said. “Dzhokhar is a second-year medical student in the U.S. He is such an intelligent boy. We expected him to come on holidays here.”
UPDATE 8:50 a.m. ET – The Associated Press reports:
[T]he uncle of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings [is] confirming that the name of the second suspect is Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the older brother of Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19. […]
The uncle, Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Md., told The Associated Press that the men lived together near Boston and have been in the United States for about a decade. They traveled here together from the Russian region near Chechnya.
UPDATE 8:46 a.m. ET –
Person, not a suspect, is in police custody at the house on Norfolk St, where the brothers lived
UPDATE 8:39 a.m. ET – Police have surrounded a home in Watertown, Mass. Fox News reports gunfire and/or explosions were heard.
UPDATE 8:24 a.m. ET – Fox News reports the surviving brother identified himself as a Muslim on his Facebook page.
UPDATE 8:03 a.m. ET – Boston police say at a news conference that the shelter in place recommendation has been extended for all of Boston; the entire city is essentially on lockdown.
UPDATE: 7:59 a.m. ET – Here’s a link to the Watertown, Mass. public safety scanner.
MIT, Harvard, Brandeis, BU, BC, Boston Conservatory, Bentley, Suffolk, Northeastern, Simmons, Berklee, Wheelock, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Tufts, Emmanuel, and Emerson all have canceled classes today.
UPDATE 7:54 a.m. ET – NBC News reports the dead suspect has been identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, born in Russia.
UPDATE 7:36 a.m. ET - CNN reports the family fled Chechnya for Kazakhstan several years ago before ending up in Boston.
The older (deceased) brother was a college student at Bunker Community College, had aspired to become an engineer. He once posted on a social media account, “I don’t have any American friends, I don’t understand them.”
CNN states on air, “They are Islamic.”
UPDATE 7: 27 a.m. ET – Fox News reports Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev (surviving suspect) was one of 50 students who received money for higher education from a local community in Cambridge in 2011.
From Boston.com:
The name Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the same name as the second suspect who is still at large, appears on a list of recipients of $2,500 City of Cambridge 2011 City Scholarships. The scholarships are given to seniors at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School who are pursuing higher education.
“Dzhokhar Tsarnaev” appears on the Cambridge, Mass. website as a recipient of a 2011 city scholarship.
UPDATE 7:16 a.m. ET – President Obama has been briefed on developments.
UPDATE 7:05 a.m. ET – NBC News and the AP report the bombing suspects are brothers of Chechen origin; had been legal permanent residents in the U.S. for one year; ages 19 and 20. Surviving suspect identified as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, Mass.
UPDATE 6:50 a.m. ET –
BREAKING: AP: Surviving Boston bomb suspect identified as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, Mass. -SS
about 3 hours
Authorities say that the 2 Boston bomb suspects are brothers, are legal permanent residents of Chechen origin.
UPDATE 6:36 a.m. ET: Fox’s Jennifer Griffin also added that officials are telling them “privately” that they are looking into the possibility that the two suspects have military-type training and have come from overseas
UPDATE 6:04 a.m. ET –– With Suspect Number 2 still on the loose, police have businesses and residents on alert in the suburbs surrounding Boston. Federal, state and local authorities have spread around the local suburb of Watertown, among other areas, where they are working diligently to try and track him down.
Police are reportedly going door-to-door and telling people to stay inside of their homes. Authorities have made this recommendation for residents in Watertown, Newton, Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge and the Allston-Brighton neighborhoods of Boston to stay indoors.
UPDATE 5:24 a.m. ET –– NBC News, citing law enforcement sources, is reporting that the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings have international ties and have been in the U.S. legally for about a year. It is the first piece of key information about the alleged terrorists that will undoubtedly come pouring in over the next few days.
UPDATE 4:22 a.m. ET – Officials have confirmed that the suspect at large in Watertown is “suspect 2″ in the Boston Marathon bombings. “Suspect 1″ is believed to have been killed in shootout with police.
Additionally, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis confirmed that a suspect in Watertown, Mass. is dead. He also said that “white hat suspect” remains at large.
One suspect dead. One at large. Armed and dangerous. White hat suspect at large.
The FBI calls this individual “Suspect 2″
The FBI calls this individual “Suspect 1.″
The two men are suspected of killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer on campus late Thursday, then stealing a car at gunpoint and later releasing its driver unharmed.
Authorities say the suspects threw explosives from the car as police followed it into Watertown. The suspects and police exchanged gunfire, and one of the suspects was critically injured and later died while the other escaped.
“We believe this to be a terrorist,” Boston police Commissioner Ed Davis said. “We believe this to be a man who came here to kill people.”
UPDATE 4:10 a.m. ET – Several journalists are reporting that one of the Boston bombing suspects, the so-called “black hat suspect” or “suspect 1,” may be dead.
BREAKING: Boston Police Commish Ed Davis has confirmed that “black hat” suspect is dead.
The Middlesex County District Attorney’s office released a statement confirming the death of one of the Watertown suspects. The statement does not confirm that the suspect is related to the Boston Marathon bombings.
The Boston Police Department reportedly provided the following image of the second suspect who was still at large in Watertown to WBZ-TV. He is believed to be armed and dangerous. While the man in the photo certainly resembles “suspect 2″ in the Boston bombings, it has not has not been confirmed that it is the same person.
Update 3:58 a.m. ET – FBI released a very brief press release very early Friday morning:
We are aware of the law enforcement activity in the greater Boston area. The situation is ongoing. We are working with local authorities to determine what happened.
UPDATE 3:20 a.m. ET – NBC is reporting that police have discovered a “pressure cooker” in Watertown, Mass., according to WHDH.
UPDATE 3:01 a.m. ET – WHDH, citing a law enforcement source, is reporting that the individuals in the Watertown incident are in fact the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. The station reports one of the suspects is “accounted for” and police are currently searching for a second suspect.
The Boston Globe has also reported that the suspects in Watertown are the Boston bombing suspects.
And now also the Huffington Post:
Law enforcement confirms suspects in custody are Boston marathon bombing suspects.
Additionally, WCVB-TV reported that men involved in Watertown shootings are the Marathon bombing suspects.
WCVB’s Kathy Curran: Men involved in MIT + Watertown shootings are the Marathon Bombers. Suspect #1 dead, Suspect #2 (white hat) on the run.
These reports have not been confirmed and other outlets like CNN have not been able to verify the information.
UPDATE 2:34 a.m. ET – WHDH reports that the suspect shot by police has died. It is still unclear if the suspects are related to the Boston Marathon bombings.
UPDATE 2:24 a.m. ET – A video provided to WCVB reportedly captures some of the intense firefight that erupted between police and a number of unidentified suspects in Watertown, Mass. There was very heavy gunfire exchanged.
There was also additional reports of gunfire at around 2:20 a.m. ET.
UPDATE 2:07 a.m. ET – WCVB-TV reports that another officer in Watertown was shot and transported to a local hospital. The station is also reporting that one suspect has been transported to the hospital after being shot.
Police are reportedly searching for at least one more suspect.
UPDATE 1:49 a.m. ET – CNN’s Jake Tapper confirms that there is an FBI presence in Watertown, Mass. following reports of explosions and heavy gunfire, a potentially significant development.
UPDATE 1:36 a.m. ET – CNN’s Gabe Ramirez is apparently reporting that police are saying at least one of the suspects matches description of Boston Marathon suspect. This has not been confirmed.
CNN’s Jake Tapper reports that one suspect has been apprehended in Watertown, Mass. It has not been confirmed that suspect who has been arrested is connected to the shooting at MIT or the Boston bombings.
There have also been additional reports of “explosions.” The suspects had seemingly thrown and detonated explosives from their car, according to local news reports.
UPDATE 1:09 a.m. ET – There are now reports of “heavy gunfire” in Watertown, Mass., located about 5 miles from MIT.
A witness named Rachel told WHDH that she heard what she thought were “explosions” before heavy gunfire rang out in Watertown.
{Matzav.com Newscenter}
Oh man. Team Obama must be in serious cover up mode now! Darn, it wasn’t a white right wing Rush Limbaugh listener! How can we avoid saying he was Muslem? Can it still be because of the Anti Muslem Film? We’ll have to ask Hillary to help us out on this one!
Good work by the Boston Police and the FBI.
Prayers for the deceased and injured.
That kid looks a little crazy and brilliant but not a killer. why didn’t they kill the guy whose car they took? something just doesnt add up.
how can you post updates after licht tzinden??
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