Grieving Tsarnaev parents believe their sons were framed. – Arguments for and against framing.

In an NBC interview, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, wearing a yellow hijab, spoke in a depressed tone, denying her sons involvement in the Boston Marathon attacks.  She stated that she did not condone the bombing and she felt sorry for the victims.  Repeatedly she said that she did not want to believe her sons had any part in the tragedy.  When she viewed the video, she expressed that she wanted to believe it was all fake, and that the blood was really red paint.

In another more massively reported interview with Anzor Tsarnaev present, Zubeidat expressed regret for ever coming to America.  She believed that the US was going to protect her family.  Instead, “America took my kids away.”  She wished to live in a village far away from people and to have her family all together in peace.

Both parents according to CNN, believe their sons were framed.  Zubeidat said her sons would never kill anyone or keep secrets from her.  She also added that the FBI was trailing Tamerlan for years.  Anzor was interviewed in his home.  Anzor did not believe his sons had access to guns and that the cops were cowardly to kill his elder son, Tamerlan.  His last conversation with Tamerlan involved making sure Dzhokhar studies more and graduates. 

According to a 2011 wiretap in Russia, Zubeidat and Tamerlan briefly spoke about jihad.  Though jihad does not necessarily mean the extremist interpretation of going to war in the name of God.  It can also mean dealing with one’s internal personal struggle in life.

My Take on the Parents’ Reactions

It is completely normal for the parents to be grieving.  Zubeidat is in denial, and refuses to believe her sons would harm anyone.  Denial is the first of Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief.  Moreover she specified that she did not want to believe they were involved.  What mother would want her children to commit a crime of this scale?  Even if the mother secretly knew her sons did it, what mother would want to admit it?  It is a shock because she did not know they were going to do this; there was no warning.  They did not tell her.  She said her sons never keep secrets, which made it easier for them to keep one this time.

Saying that she wanted to move to a secluded village with all her family together meant two things.  She wants to escape society, and her trust has been reduced.  Secondly, she wishes to keep her family intact; a sense of unity.

When she says “America took my kids away,” she is still under the impression that her children were innocent and thus the pursuit was unwarranted.  In this state of mind, her maternal instinct in threatened.  To her, they will always be “kids,” and they were taken from her.  She came to America to flee one war, and her family is now enduring an internal battle with US authorities.  She cried, “Why did I ever come to America?”

The father, Anzor, was all the way in Dagestan.  He could not get in contact with any of his US relatives, and he wanted more information.  He seemed very angry in his interview.  He denounced the bombing, and that “whoever did it was a bastard.”  His sons definitely had guns, and the idea that Anzor denies that they had access shows that he did not know everything about his sons. 

Let’s say they were framed.

Instead of isolating our perspective to what the media feeds us, why not look at this whole scenario in another way, even if it is an unpopular view.  What if they were framed?  The purpose is to entertain the idea and see if it still makes sense.

Before Dzhokhar was read his Miranda Rights, he admitted that he and his brother acted alone, his brother was the “driving force,” and that the bombs were detonated by toy remote control car parts.  Maybe that was all contrived by the media to make him look guilty.

They say bombs were strapped to Tamerlan’s body when he was shot dead by the cops.  What if there were no bombs strapped to his chest and the media was lying?  This would further convince the populace of his guilt.

The hostage in the Mercedes SUV coincidentally did not know much English.  The little English he could make out was that they were bragging that they committed the Boston Marathon bombings, and that they wanted to go to Manhattan.  Why would anyone brag about committing a large scale crime if they were running away?  Why would they want the hostage to know they were the culprits?  If they knew their faces were all over the news, they would not need to inform anyone that they did it.  Moreover, the media could be taking advantage of the hostage’s lack of English fluency.  Hearsay testimony could easily be falsified by the media, which is monopolized by Rupert Murdoch.

When they were picked out from the Boston Marathon crowd, there were other people with bookbags.  What if the bombs were set up by someone else, and they were wrongfully suspected?

Arguments Against Conspiracy – Not Framed

What if the bombs were set up by someone else or the government?  If the bombs were planted by the government, our own government would be killing our own civilians plus wasting money in the process.  All for what, to frame two suspicious people?

In order for the government to frame the two suspects, they would have to know ahead of time that they were going to be present at the Boston Marathon.  There was no information available indicating that the brothers were going to attend the annual marathon.  Planning a bombing and coordinating it with them being near any crowd would take a long time.  At one point Dzhokhar went to NYC, according to his Twitter, and the government did not follow him into the crowded city and commit a bombing there to frame him.  That information was online and easily available to the government.  There was no evidence that the brothers were intending on going to the Boston Marathon, which would indicate they intended others not to know.

If they were innocent, why did they run?  Why would they not just confront the authorities, claiming their innocence?  They had every chance to do so.  The media publicized this event so widely.  They could have just yelled out in public that they were innocent, that they did not do it, and they just did not want to get shot.  Why did Dzhokhar hide in the boat if he had nothing to hide?  He was injured and he needed medical attention, and he was still willing to evade the police.

The police attempted to negotiate with Dzhokhar to come out of the boat, but instead he shot back.  Why?  It was his last desperate attempt to fend off the police.

Why did they shoot the police officer?  Why did they need to hijack a car to escape?  This drew so much attention to them.  If they were innocent, they would not need to shoot any cops.  Why did they exchange gunfire with the police?  They were desperate enough to steal someone’s Mercedes SUV in the attempt to escape the authorities.  If they are contributing this much effort to evade the police, then they are probably guilty.  Then they needed to engage in shooting with the police in order to keep running.  Perhaps they were shooting because they were afraid of getting shot by the police?  Maybe Dzhokhar ran because he was afraid of getting killed too?  However Tamerlan did not need to randomly kill Officer Collier.  Officer Sean Collier was sitting in his police cruiser and did not even provoke Tamerlan.

I just watched The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC.  The hostage was interviewed.  He said that Tamerlan held him at gunpoint, robbing him and hijacking his car.  Tamerlan admitted to committing the Boston bombings and that he just killed an officer in Cambridge.  Tamerlan threatened to kill the hostage if he dared to answer his cellphone in Chinese.  When they stopped at the Shell gas station, and Dzhokhar exited the vehicle, the hostage escaped in a quick motion – one hand unbuckled the seatbelt and the other opened the door.  Tamerlan tried to grab his arm, but he got free.  The hostage’s cellphone was still in the car, and that was used to track down the car.

Why were they running?  If they were innocent, then what were they running from?

©2013 Caroline Friehs

Originally posted: May 2, 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. 19)  FBI releases photos of Boston suspects.  BBC News – US & Canada.  Retrieved from:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22211190

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

BBC News (2013 Apr. 25).  Boston bombing suspects’ mother regrets emigration to US.  BBC News – US & Canada.  Retrieved from:  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-22296830

CBS (2013 Apr. 29).  Boston investigators attempt to pin down Tsarnaev brothers’ influences.  CBS News.com.  Retrieved by:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57581816/boston-investigators-attempt-to-pin-down-tsarnaev-brothers-influences/

McKelvey, T (2013 Apr. 23).  Boston bombings:  How to interrogate a suspected terrorist.  BBC News – News Magazine.  Retrieved by:  http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22227704

Mong, A & McClam, E (2013 Apr. 25).  ‘America took my kids away’:  Mother of Boston suspects insists sons not responsible.  NBC News.  Retrieved from:  http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/25/17912024-america-took-my-kids-away-mother-of-boston-suspects-insists-sons-not-responsible?lite&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+msn%2Fdlvrit-test-fb-first+%28msnbc.com%3A+Top+msnbc.com+headlines%29

MSNBC (2013 May 2).  Interview with the Hostage, “Danny.”  The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.  [Viewed on television].

NBC (2013 Apr. 25).  Interview with Zubeidat Tsarnaeva.  [Viewed on television].

YouTube (2013 Apr. 20).  “They Were Framed.”  Parents of Boston Bombers Speak Out 2013.  [video]  Courtesy of username:  ADGUKNEWS.  News Network:  CNN.  Retrieved from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWiOCrVietY