September 11, 2001 will be a date forever etched in the minds of all Americans. The sense that citizens were safe on U.S. soil disappeared, replaced by a sense of panic for years after the terrorist attacks. It took the better part of a decade before Americans walked the streets without looking over their shoulders in a major city. Now, that feeling of dread has returned.
Towards the conclusion of the Boston Marathon, two explosives were set off near the finish line. The scene was one of horror, with three people killed and hundreds of others injured. Among the dead was a young boy, whose father had run in the race. His family was waiting at the finish line and were caught up in the shrapnel bomb. The boy’s mother and sister were also severely injured. The bombing set off a massive manhunt, which concluded in the shooting death of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and the capture of his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did not go quietly, leading police through a protracted standoff while on a boat. He was finally captured when bleeding wounds kept him from being able to fight back. He spent time in a Boston area hospital until he was well enough to be moved to a detention facility to finish his recovery. There was much conjecture as to what he would face once ready to face charges. Tsarnaev now knows what charges he will have to deal with.
A Federal grand jury returned a 30-count indictment against Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. As expected, he is being charged with the bombing. Among the charges related to the bombing include using a weapon of mass destruction, and bombing a place of public use. However, Tsarnaev will also be facing a litany of other charges. Added to the initial bombing charges are the killing of the officer on the campus of MIT. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed after the brothers carjacked a vehicle and were confronted by police. Dzhokhar is also being charged with a role in the carjacking.
According to the Huffington Post, 17 of the charges filed come with the option of life in prison or the death penalty. Given the heinous nature of the crimes, one would think that the U.S. government will lobby hard for Tsarnaev to face the death penalty for his crimes. The surviving bomber will have a hard time convincing a jury of his innocence as he left a confession of sorts in the boat where he was captured. Among the things he wrote included, “I don’t like killing innocent people. We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all.”