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7 intriguing personal details about the Boston bombing suspects
Tamerlan was a pizza delivery man. Dzhokhar allegedly sold weed.
Ever since Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a shootout with police and his younger brother Dzhokhar was subsequently hunted down and captured by police late last week, details about the Boston bombing suspects have slowly but steadily been dribbling out. But beyond the broad strokes — the Tsarnaev brothers originally hailed from Chechnya, lived in Cambridge, and, in Tamerlan's case, struggled socially in the U.S.— relatives, friends, and acquaintances have opened up with a range of information about the two men's lives, personalities, and struggles. Here are some intriguing details that have surfaced:
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
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Dzhokhar allegedly sold marijuana to earn extra money in college. Three anonymous sources told the Boston Globe they bought marijuana from Dzhokhar while he was attending University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he was on scholarship. "There was a permanent stench of marijuana in his room," an acquaintance told the paper.
3. Tamerlan was a pizza delivery man
Briefly, at least, reports the Boston Globe. And Tamerlan listed himself as a "driver" on his marriage certificate in 2010.
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4. But Tamerlan's real passion was boxing
The 26-year-old wanted to represent the United States on the Olympic boxing team. A successful amateur boxer, the suspect competed in the national Golden Gloves tournament in Salt Lake City in 2009, and won the title of New England's Golden Gloves heavyweight champ in 2010. "He was the best boxer in Boston," John Allan, owner of Wai Kru Mixed Martial Arts in Boston, told the Boston Globe. And he was committed: After studying accounting at Bunker Hill Community College for three semesters, he dropped out in 2008 to focus on going pro as a boxer.
5. Tamerlan had a troubled home life
In 2009, Cambridge police arrested Tamerlan on allegations of domestic abuse after receiving a 911 call on a summer afternoon. "I asked the suspect if he had hit the victim, and he said 'Yes, I slapped her,'" the Cambridge officer wrote in the report. A judge dismissed the charges following a trial by jury in 2010.
6. Tamerlan prayed 5 times a day
In 2008, Tamerlan "got involved with religion," his aunt told reporters following the attacks. His devotion intensified over the following years. By 2011 he was praying five times a day, she said. And it was a mystery man known only as "Misha" who reportedly helped radicalize Tamerlan.
7. Dzhokhar was a lovable goofball
Dzhokar, known by friends as Jahar, was very well-liked. A former wrestling teammate who remains anonymous wrote this about the suspect:
He was a friend to me, he was a teammate to me, he helped me be successful in wrestling. He was one of the people that saw potential in me, which made me continue to wrestle. Even after he graduated he came back and spent his time trying to make me be the best wrestler I could be.
He was part of the reason why I was so successful in wrestling. He was one of the people that came to practice and never gave up on me being successful in what we do as wrestlers he worked with me one on one on the wrestling mat.
I just can't believe that he would do something like this. It just breaks my heart to know that it was him. I wish it was not but it is. It's just so hard when someone you treated like family, with such a big influence on your life, just turns into the person that I'm seeing on TV. It brings great pain and sadness to me.
The last time I saw him was in the winter and the last thing I said to him was, "Next time I see [you] we are going to wrestle," and I was going to win, and he told me, "Any time." But I have no clue [about] what happened to him at all.
And that's my story. [Via Business Insider]
Dzhokhar also reportedly liked to goof around. Another teammate posted the below video of the suspect showing off dance moves during wrestling practice with the comment "The Jahar I knew."
