According to authorities, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the two suspects in the bombing of the Boston Marathon, confessed to the many crimes of which he is accused on Sunday, and said that the bombing was motivated by America’s ongoing military activity in Afghanistan and Iraq. Tsarnaev, who is currently in critical condition for gunshot wounds to his throat, mouth, legs and hands, was not read his Miranda rights prior to his confession.
The Boston Globe reports that while under interrogation from his hospital room on Sunday, Tsarnaev admitted to planning and executing the bombing of the Boston marathon along with his brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, as well as the murder of Sean Collier, a campus police officer at MIT. As reported yesterday, he also indicated that they acted alone, and without any support from overseas terrorist organizations.
The Washington Post reports that after admitting to the bombing, Tsarnaev told authorities that he and his brother’s actions were inspired by the ongoing U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Tsarnaev’s bombing occurred only a few days after an attack in Afghanistan during which 17 civilians were killed, 12 of whom were children.
Though Tsarnaev admitted to the crimes of which he is accused and discussed his motivation for committing them, his admission may not be admissible in court. The Boston Globe reports that Tsarnaev’s interrogation on Sunday occurred before he was read his Miranda rights. Tsarnaev is currently in critical condition at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the interrogation was conducted at his bedside. Because he cannot speak due to injuries to his throat, he has responded to questions by writing his answers on paper.
The Obama administration did not immediately read Tsarnaev his Miranda warning because they classified him as a “public safety exception.” There was a question as to whether or not Tsarnaev would be charged as an enemy combatant, but yesterday it was revealed that he has been indicted for, among other charges, using a weapon of mass destruction.
Regardless of the usability of his confession, authorities feel strongly that they can still build a case around Tsarnaev. A source in the Boston Police Department said that when the Tsarnaev brothers took a civilian hostage during a carjacking, they confessed to bombing the marathon and murdering Collier as an intimidation method, and that the carjacking victim’s testimony may be enough to convict Tsarnaev.