Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's relatives say Boston Marathon bombing was U.S. government conspiracy

published 16 April 2015

Relatives of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are speaking out now that the 21-year-old has been convicted of bombing the 2013 Boston Marathon, saying they believe the attack was orchestrated by the U.S. government.

In an interview with Time, Tsarnaev's uncle stated that it was "all fabricated by the American special services," in an attempt to see what the public would do when faced with a terrorist threat and the imposition of martial law. "It would be so much easier if he had actually committed these crimes," his aunt, Maret Tsarnaeva, said. "Then we could swallow this pain and accept it."

The family said they didn't talk with the media before the verdict because Tsarnaev's court-appointed lawyer, Judy Clarke, said it could affect the jury's decision. They also wanted Tsarnaev to fire Clarke, who said during arguments that he was responsible for the "senseless, horrific, misguided" attacks while under the spell of his older brother, Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout with police. "Why do we even need defense attorneys if they just tell the jury he is guilty?" Tsarnaeva asked. "What's the point."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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