Bombing suspects reportedly had big social media presence

One brother reportedly posted videos on YouTube, and the other used Russia's biggest social media platform

Published April 19, 2013 1:25PM (EDT)

This image provided by the Boston Regional Intelligence Center shows Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev.              (AP/Boston Regional Intelligence Center)
This image provided by the Boston Regional Intelligence Center shows Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev. (AP/Boston Regional Intelligence Center)

As more details emerge about the two suspects in the Boston bombing case, one now deceased, reports are also surfacing about their presence on social media.

The New York Times reports:

Both brothers have substantial presence on social media. On Vkontakte, Russia’s most popular social media platform, the younger brother, Dzhokhar, describes his worldview as “Islam” and, asked to identify “the main thing in life,” answers “career and money.” He lists a series of affinity groups relating to Chechnya, and lists a verse from the Koran, “Do good, because Allah loves those who do good.”

The older brother left a record on YouTube of his favorite clips, which included Russian rap videos, as well as testimonial from a young ethnic Russian man titled “How I accepted Islam and became a Shiite,” a clip titled “Seven Steps to Successful Prayer.”

And Mother Jones reports that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the elder brother who was killed by law enforcement early this morning, appears to have posted a video on YouTube related to an al-Qaida prophecy. "The prophecy states that an invincible army will come from the region of 'Khurasan,' a large portion of territory in central Asia," writes Adam Serwer.

Here's the video:


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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Boston Boston Bombings Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Social Media Tamerlan Tsarnaev Video