The Tsarnaev Brothers and Amateurism

According to Russian officials, Chechenya rebels are linked with Al-Qaeda, however there is a possibility that the Tsarnaev brothers who bombed the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 had no connection to the terrorist organization giant.  Even if they were affiliated with Al-Qaeda, their leaders may deny their association since the Tsarnaev brothers were very amateurish in their planning, and/or to protect other members of their sleeper cell if it exists.  So far, Al-Qaeda has not confirmed or denied their membership.

Dzhokhar, 19, carefully masked his intentions by being sociable at school, and he filled his Twitter account with tweets of rap lyrics and pictures of his cat.  He minimized his expression of beliefs on his Facebook account safely stating his world views were: Islam.  Though on his VK account, a Russian social networking site, he expressed his feelings for Chechen independence.

Tamerlan, 26, was not as careful.  He had a YouTube channel titled, “Terrorists,” where he displayed Islamic extremists giving speeches, including Amir Abu Dudzhan and a Chechen bard, Timur Mutsuraev.  The latter sang, “We will devote our lives to jihad.”  In a Boston University publication he stated, “I don’t have a single American friend.  I don’t understand them.”  The FBI and the Russian government had long term suspicions regarding Tamerlan.

When the terrorist event occurred, friends of Dzhokhar were shocked, saying he was “out of character,” and their parents Zubeidat and Anzor were in denial that their sons committed the bombings.  Chances are the two brothers were very respectful of their Muslim parents, and loved them very much.  Their father is quoted regarding Dzhokhar, "My son is a true angel," and the mother claimed that her sons would not harm anyone.  Given what the brothers committed, they were able to hide their intentions from their own family.

Amateurism

Before they placed their bombs, the destructive duo dressed carefully to blend in with the crowd.  Tamerlan covered his face with his baseball cap visor and sunglasses.  Dzhokhar wore his baseball cap backwards with no sunglasses, completely revealing his face to surveillance cameras.

Their bombs were not really amateurish considering the damage sustained.  Though they were not as sophisticated, for instance, as some explosives used for airlines that are triggered by altitude pressure.  Tsarnaevs' bombs were less complicated.  They were made from easily obtained items: pressure cookers, firecrackers, and remote control car parts, among other pieces.  Regardless of the simplicity, their bombs killed three people, injured over 170; some of whom lost limbs for life.

Instead of fleeing the city after the blasts, Dzhokhar reportedly returned to campus and went to a college party.  Tamerlan had to be close by in order to meet up again.  Dzhokhar’s tweets after the attack included, “I’m a stress free kind of guy,” and “There are people that know the truth but stay silent & there are people that speak the truth but we don’t hear them cuz they’re the minority.”

The two fugitives planned to “party in NYC,” and then detonate their residual supply of bombs in Times Square.  They did not flee Boston for their next target, but stayed giving Boston the necessary time to lock down the city and hunt for them.  They had little or no exit plan.  The notorious but foiled terrorist, Ramzi Yousef, had already booked a flight out of the US after bombing the World Trade Center in 1993.  He left the country before the US had a chance to track him.  This is an exit strategy.

Instead of maintaining a low profile, they fatally shot an MIT police officer, Sean Collier.  The Tsarnaev brothers then hijacked a Mercedes SUV, and fled which led to a dramatic shootout with police, drawing even more attention.  All Mercedes have built-in GPS tracking devices to counter auto theft.  If they were smarter they would have known that already and selected a different vehicle.  Moreover if they were better prepared, they would have already had a getaway car.  If they had left MIT Officer Collier alone and went to NYC, they would have been able to commit more attacks.  The shooting of the officer was an impulsive act.  They seemed to still be in "party mode" in their morbid sense, by the way they gloated to their hostage about their involvement with the Boston Marathon attacks.  The hostage's English was not fluent, but he could make out the word, "Manhattan" over and over.  The suspects mercifully set their hostage free unharmed, and continued their ride in the stolen car.

Dzhokhar had to run away from law enforcement, and instead of escaping the city, he had to hide.  His tactics were now desperate attempts to evade the cops.  He chose to hide in a white tarp covered boat in someone’s yard, and his blood stained the tarp, catching the eye of the owner.  Police, the Bomb-squad vans, ambulances, and hovering helicopters surrounded his boat with only the tarp sheltering him.  He was in checkmate, and he desperately exchanged fire with law enforcement, which furthered his injuries.

Terrorism is like a game of chess, and both sides think they are the good guy.  Putting righteousness aside, the war-game is won by who makes the final capture.  Dzhokhar and Tamerlan’s options were pawns which were eliminated by their poor decisions and weak planning.  Tamerlan was more likely than not the mastermind, and was killed like a fallen Queen chess piece.  Dzhokhar was certainly no King in this analogy, other than he could hardly move and his attacks were just as futile as a King chess piece.  He was more of a Rook, a rookie, and he spent time in his ivory tower of college being studious, and partying too.  Coming back from this tangent, America has experienced a lot of terrorism in our history.  It is best not to mess with the US in this kind of game of chess.

©2013 Caroline Friehs

Originally posted: April 27, 2013
Updated: April 28, 2013

References

Associated Press (2013 Apr. 24).  Did Boston bombing suspects plan to party in NYC after attack?  CBS NEWS.  Retrieved from:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57581266/did-boston-bombing-suspects-plan-to-party-in-nyc-after-attack/

Ballou, B (2013 Apr. 23).  Police, governor also honor slain MIT officer.  The Boston Globe.  Retrieved from:  http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/23/private-funeral-service-underway-for-mit-police-officer-sean-collier-allegedly-murdered-boston-marathon-terrorists/VBfmPStMAETHumnzWDXJxL/story.html

BBC News (2013 Apr. 20).  Boston marathon bombs suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev captured.  BBC News – US and Canada.  Retrieved from:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22228151

BBC News (2013 Apr. 21).  Boston bombs:  Officials wait to question Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.  BBC News – US & Canada.  Retrieved from:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22232196

BBC News (2013 Apr. 22).  Profile: Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tzarnaev.  BBC News US & Canada.  Retrieved from:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22219116

Isachenkov, V (2013 Apr. 25).  Putin:  Boston bombing shows West’s mistake.  Yahoo News.  Retrieved from:  http://news.yahoo.com/putin-boston-bombing-shows-wests-mistake-101701441.html

Ross, B; McPhee, M; Mosk, M (2013 Apr. 25).  Accused Bombers Plotted Attack in NYC, Officials Say.  ABC – The Blotter.  Retrieved from:  http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/accused-boston-bombers-plotted-attack-nyc-police/story?id=19038313#.UXv8d0pNGSo

Shuster, S (2013 Apr. 19).  The Brothers Tsarnaev: Clues to the Motives of the Alleged Boston Bombers.  Yahoo News.  Retrieved from:  http://news.yahoo.com/brothers-tsarnaev-clues-motives-alleged-boston-bombers-162101446.html

Weintraub, K & Kao, J (2013 Apr. 24).  Thousands mourn as MIT officer Sean Collier laid to rest.  USA Today.  Retrieved from:  http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2013/04/24/mit-boston-honors-slain-campus-cop-sean-collier/2109327/