Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the main suspects in the Boston Marathon Bombing, was taken into police custody on the evening of April 19, 2013. Here’s what you need to know about his arrest and the U.S. governments plans as it pertains to his questioning.
1. Dzhokar’s Miranda Rights Will Be Revoked During His Questioning
The Boston Globe gathered some interesting details on how the Obama Administration will go about questioning Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his involvement in the Boston Marathon bombing. The U.S. government plans to question him without first reading him his Miranda rights, which is a move that has received support and non-support from some political advocates.
The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union believes it would be unconstitutional to use the evidence gathered during questioning against Dzhokhar without reading him his Miranda rights first :
Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said it would be acceptable for the FBI to ask the suspect, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, a naturalized U.S. citizen, about “imminent” threats, such as whether other bombs are hidden around Boston. But he said that once the FBI gets into broader questioning, it must not “cut corners.” “The public safety exception to Miranda should be a narrow and limited one, and it would be wholly inappropriate and unconstitutional to use it to create the case against the suspect,” Romero said. “The public safety exception would be meaningless if interrogations are given an open-ended time horizon.”
Some political personalities feel Dzhokhar should be held under the title of an “enemy combatant,” which would do away with his criminal rights:
At the other end of the spectrum, some conservatives have called for treating terrorism-related cases — even those arising on U.S. soil or involving citizens — as a military matter, holding a suspect indefinitely as an “enemy combatant” without a criminal defendants’ rights. Two Republican senators, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, called for holding Tsarnaev under the laws of war, interrogating him without any Miranda warning or defense lawyer. “Our goal at this critical juncture should be to gather intelligence and protect our nation from further attacks,” they said. “We remain under threat from radical Islam and we hope the Obama administration will seriously consider the enemy combatant option.”
2. Dzhokhar Was Apprehended By Police After Escaping A Massive Gunfight
Both Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were identified early Friday morning as the Chechen brothers who were responsible for the bombing in Boston on Monday that left three people dead. After a massive gunfight with police left the older brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan dead and 19-year-old Dzhokhar on the loose, Dzhokhar was finally captured by police. Dzhokhar’s arrest came after police entered into a 20-hour manhunt that concluded in Watertown, Massachusetts.
3. His Arrest Came After A Police Lockdown in Boston
On Friday night, Watertown and other nearby communities were put under lockdown after Dzhokhar escaped in an S.U.V. and fled the gunfight scene. Several schools were cancelled and businesses remained closed as police continued to search for Dzhokhar. After the community lockdown was lifted, the authorities managed to find him after they were informed about a man discovering someone covered in blood hiding in a man’s boat. That man was Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
4. His Medical Condition Remains Under Wraps
MT @liamwcvb Gov. Patrick: Tsarnaev is in serious but stable condition: We “hope he survives, because we have a million questions” #WCVB
— Kristen Setera (@KristenWCVB) April 20, 2013
Moments after his arrest, Dzhokhar was treated at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. ABC News reported that the spokesperson for the hospital, Kelly Lawman, stated that “she was asked by the FBI to not give any condition updates on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.” However, she did confirm that he is certainly alive and still a recovering patient at the hospital. As of Friday night, he is reported to be in critical condition.
5. The Man Who Discovered Dzhokhar In His Boat Is Being Rewarded
The man who led police to the location of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been identified as Watertown, Massachusetts native David Henneberry. ABC News noted that David has already been sent a $25 from Deborah Newberry, 62, of Orlando, Florida. She also had this to say about David’s commendable efforts:
Something told him to go and check things. I just want him to know that people care about him because I know he’s probably the guy that would say, ‘Well, that’s okay.’ But I just would like him to know that we’re all thinking about him and appreciate his spirit.
Henneberry’s friend and neighbor George Pizzuto knows that he’ll be heartbroken over the condition of his boat, though:
That boat’s his baby. He takes care of it like you wouldn’t believe. And they told him it’s all shot up.