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katherine russell tsarnaev
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, has retained legal counsel Joshua Dratel, who has an extensive client roster of suspected and convicted terrorists.
Katherine Russell added attorney Joshua Dratel to her legal team, her Rhode Island-based lawyer Amato DeLuca said on Wednesday.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev has retained legal counsel Joshua Dratel, who has an extensive client roster of suspected and convicted terrorists
New York lawyer Joshua Dratel, whose office in Downtown Manhattan is just blocks away from Ground Zero, previously defended Guantanamo Bay detainees and suspects in the bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, 24, has been under increased scrutiny ever since federal officials found radical Islamist materials on her laptop, including the al Qaeda magazine Inspire.
Investigators also found traces of explosive residue in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, home Katherine Russell had shared with her late husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev and their 3-year-old daughter, Zahara.
Katherine Russell’s defense team said in a statement that she “plans to continue to meet with investigators, part of a series of meetings over many hours where she has answered questions”.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators that Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of his late older brother Tamerlan, had nothing to do with the April 15 Boston Marathon attacks, it was revealed today.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, has made the statement to law enforcement officials looking into Katherine Russell’s possible involvement in the planning of the bombings allegedly carried out by her husband, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and her brother-in-law, NBC News reported.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a police gun battle on April 19. His younger brother, Dzhokhar, was captured and charged in connection to the bombings following a massive manhunt that ended when he was discovered wounded hiding inside a boat in a backyard.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators that Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, the widow of his late older brother Tamerlan, had nothing to do with the April 15 Boston Marathon attacks
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, 24, has been under increased scrutiny ever since federal officials found radical Islamist materials on her laptop, including the al Qaeda magazine Inspire.
Investigators also found traces of explosive residue in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, home Katherine Russell had shared with her late husband and their daughter.
Katherine Russell’s defense team said in a statement that she “plans to continue to meet with investigators, part of a series of meetings over many hours where she has answered questions”.
It was also revealed Wednesday that the 24-year-old Muslim convert has hired a prominent criminal lawyer with experience defending terrorism cases.
Katherine Russell added New York lawyer Joshua Dratel to her legal team, her attorney Amato DeLuca confirmed.
Joshua Dratel has represented a number of terrorism suspects in federal courts and military commissions, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee David Hicks, who attended an al-Qaida-linked training camp in Afghanistan.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, widow of Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, enjoyed a fast food lunch with her daughter on Sunday as federal officials continue to investigate whether she had any involvement in the deadly terrorist attacks.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, 24, laughed and chatted with a friend at a branch of the Mexican fast-food chain Chipotle along with her 3-year-old daughter, Zahara.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev laughed and chatted with a friend at Mexican fast-food Chipotle along with her 3-year-old daughter, Zahara
Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s widow appeared relaxed and carefree as she ordered at the counter before carrying a soda and bag of food to her car from the restaurant close to her home in Warwick, Rhode Island.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev was likely trailed by undercover FBI agents in an unmarked car as officials remain suspicious about how much she knows relating to the planning and production of the pressure cooker bombs.
Her casual outing came as federal investigators revealed that they had discovered radical Islamist materials on her computer and the fact that she will not reveal what she spoke to her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev about when they had a phone conversation on the night that his photo was released by the FBI.
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It appears Tamerlan Tsarnaev displayed a disturbing pattern of verbal abuse and violence toward women that included fits of rage against his wife Katherine Russell and an arrest in 2009 for slapping ex-girlfriend Nadine Ascencao, according to police records and accounts from those who knew him.
Close friends of his wife Katherine Russell, 24, claimed today that Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was combative, angry and controlling.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev hasn’t spoken publicly about her husband since he was killed in a shootout with police in Watertown early Friday morning. But it appears she spoke to federal authorities for the first time on Tuesday, after she was spotted leaving her Rhode Island family home with her lawyer and three federal investigators. She returned home nearly four hours later with her mother.
Afterwards, Katherine Russell Tsarnaev’s lawyers released a statement at her request that claimed she has been “doing everything she can to assist with the investigation”.
“The injuries and loss of life – to people who came to celebrate a race and a holiday – has caused profound distress and sorrow to Katie and her family,” the statement read.
“The reports of involvement by her husband and brother-in-law came as an absolute shock to them all.”
Three of Katherine Russell’s friends told National Public Radio’s Laura Sullivan that Tamerlan Tsarnaev would often insult Katherine and call her names, such as “slut” and “prostitute”.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was known to fly into fits of rage where he would throw objects, including furniture, friends said.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev’s lawyer, Amato DeLuca, said she was a student at Suffolk University when she was introduced to Tamerlan Tsarnaev at a nightclub. He didn’t specify the exact date that they met, though it’s believed to be sometime during 2009.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev often insulted wife Katherine Russell calling her a slut and a prostitute
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was seeing another woman at the time, he said.
“They went out for a while, and then they stopped and then they went out again,” Amato DeLuca said.
It’s possible the other woman that Tamerlan Tsarnaev was apparently dating was 25-year-old Nadine Ascencao of Brookline, Massachusetts.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev was arrested in July 2009 for allegedly slapping Nadine Ascencao, according to court records.
Nadine Ascencao was “crying hysterically” and called 911 to report that she was “beat up by her boyfriend”, Cambridge Police Officer Angela Pereira wrote in the arrest report.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev told Angela Pereira and another officer that his girlfriend “was yelling at him because of another girl”.
Asked whether he had hit Nadine Ascencao, Tamerlan Tsarnaev stated: “Yes, I slapped her.”
He specifically stated that he struck the left side of her face.
Eleven months later, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was apparently no longer dating Nadine Ascencao. He had persuaded Katherine Russell to convert from Christianity to Islam and the couple married on June 21, 2010.
Around the same time, Katherine Russell became pregnant with Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s baby.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev dropped out of school in her senior year and reportedly began pulling away from her friends and family.
Mary Silberman, whose apartment backs up to Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s Cambridge home, said she often heard loud arguments late at night that mostly consisted of a woman’s voice yelling at a man.
“It wasn’t enough to call the police,” Mary Silberman told Reuters.
“It didn’t sound like anyone was in physical danger.”
But the shouting was often loud enough to keep her awake at night. Mary Silberman could also hear the couple’s daughter, Zahara, now 3-year-old, wailing at night and she often wondered why the mother wasn’t responding, she said.
As the girl grew into a toddler, Mary Silberman said she would see Zahara staring out the window.
Since Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s death, Katherine Russell has been staying with her family in North Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Her lawyer, Amato DeLuca, told CNN on Monday that the 24-year-old is “very distraught” and “cries a lot”.
Regarding the bomb plot, Amato DeLuca said: “She knew nothing about it at any time.”
“The whole family is a mess, to put it bluntly,” lawyer said.
“They’re very distraught. They’re upset. Their lives have been unalterably changed. They’re upset because of what happened, the people that were injured, that were killed. It’s an awful, terrible thing.”
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev works 70 to 80 hours a week as a home health aide, according to family members. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was unemployed.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev’s lawyers released this statement on Tuesday morning at Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s widow request:
“As you know from news reports, Katie married her husband in June of 2010. Since then, she has been living in Cambridge, raising her child and working long hours, caring for people in their homes who are unable to care for themselves.
“Katie grew up in Rhode Island and has always remained close to her parents and sisters here, as well as her extended family.
Katherine Russell married Tamerlan Tsarnaev in June 2010
“She is fortunate to have the support of her loving family now, as they, too, struggle to come to terms with these events and the deep sorrow we all feel following the events of last week.
“Meanwhile, she is doing everything she can to assist with the investigation.
“The injuries and loss of life – to people who came to celebrate a race and a holiday – has caused profound distress and sorrow to Katie and her family.
“The reports of involvement by her husband and brother-in-law came as an absolute shock to them all.
“As a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife, Katie deeply mourns the pain and loss to innocent victims – students, law enforcement, families and our community. In the aftermath of this tragedy, she, her daughter and her family are trying to come to terms with these events.”
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Federal authorities have asked to speak with Katherine Russell Tsarnaev, wife of suspected Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, her lawyer said.
Amato DeLuca also offered new details on Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s movements in the days after the bombings, saying “he was home” when Katherine Russell Tsarnaev left for work on the last day she saw him alive.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev learned her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev was a suspect by seeing it on TV, Amato DeLuca told The Associated Press.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and his brother, Dzhokhar, 19, two ethnic Chechen brothers from southern Russia, are accused of planting two explosives near the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, killing three and injuring more than 180.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev learned her husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev was a suspect by seeing it on TV
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev did not speak to federal officials who came to her parents’ home yesterday evening, where she has been staying since Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a getaway attempt on Friday.
Amato DeLuca said he spoke with the federal officials, but he would not offer further details.
“We’re deciding what we want to do and how we want to approach this,” the lawyer said.
When asked whether anything seemed amiss to Katherine Russell Tsarnaev following the bombings, Amato DeLuca said: “Not as far as I know.”
Amato DeLuca said his client did not suspect her husband of anything.
He said Katherine Russell Tsarnaev had been working 70 to 80 hours, seven days a week as a home health care aide. While she was at work, Tamerlan Tsarnaev cared for their 3-year-old daughter, Zahara, Amato DeLuca said.
“When this allegedly was going on, she was working, and had been working all week to support her family,” he told the AP.
Katherine Russell Tsarnaev’s awareness of Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s movements, thoughts and plans is under intense scrutiny as her relation to him and her proximity to both brothers makes her a key witness – witting or otherwise.
The eldest of three daughters, to emergency physician Dr. Warren Russell and nurse Judith, Katherine Russell Tsarnaev had an upbringing steeped in the values of family and education.
Amato DeLuca said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was off at college and Katherine Russell Tsarnaev saw him “not at all” at the apartment they shared with her mother-in-law.
Katherine Russell was attending university in Boston when friends introduced her to her future husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev at a nightclub, Amato DeLuca added.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Katherine Russell dated on and off, then married in 2009 or 2010, the lawyer said.
Katherine Russell was raised Christian, but at some point after meeting Tamerlan Tsarnaev, she converted to Islam, he said.
When asked why she converted, Amato DeLuca said: “She believes in the tenets of Islam and of the Koran. She believes in God.”
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