‘Boston terror bomb was made to tear people apart’

Boston Marathon suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev went on trial yesterday, with prosecutors saying he used a backpack to plant a bomb designed to “tear people apart and create a bloody ­spectacle”.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces a possible death sentence over his involvement in the 2013 Boston bombing. Picture: APDzhokhar Tsarnaev faces a possible death sentence over his involvement in the 2013 Boston bombing. Picture: AP
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces a possible death sentence over his involvement in the 2013 Boston bombing. Picture: AP

His life on the line, a long-haired Tsarnaev, 21, stared straight ahead as prosecutor William Weinreb launched into his opening statement in the most closely watched terrorism trial in the US since the Oklahoma City bombing more than 20 years ago.

Three people were killed and more than 260 hurt when two pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line seconds apart on 15 April, 2013.

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Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen who arrived from Russia more than a decade ago, faces 30 charges over the bombings and the shooting death days later of a police officer. Seventeen of the charges carry the possibility of the death penalty.

About two dozen victims of the Boston attack took up the entire left-hand side of the courtroom.

Sketching out the horrific scene on the streets after the two bombs exploded, Mr Weinreb said: “The air was filled with the smell of burning sulphur and people’s screams.”

Just before the jury was brought in, the judge rejected a fourth request from Tsarnaev’s lawyers to move the trial out of Boston.

Among the victims in the courtroom was Heather Abbott, who lost a leg in the attack. Also in the group were Denise and Bill Richard, the parents of eight-year-old Martin Richard, who died in the bombing.

Two dramatically different portraits of the former university student are expected to emerge during the trial.

Was he a submissive, adoring younger brother who only followed directions given by his older, radicalised brother? Or was he a willing, active participant in the attacks?

His lawyers have made it clear they will try to show at the time of the attack, Tsarnaev, then 19, looked up to his older brother, Tamerlan, 26, and was heavily influenced by him. They plan to portray Tamerlan as the mastermind of the attack. He died in a shootout with police days after the bombings.

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But prosecutors say Tsarnaev was an equal participant who acted of his own free will. They contend the brothers were driven by anger over US wars in Muslim lands.

Tsarnaev’s lawyers fought right up until the last minute to have the trial moved outside Massachusetts, arguing too many people had personal connections to the case. Their requests were rejected.

A panel of ten women and eight men was chosen on Tuesday. The trial will be split into two phases – one to decide guilt or innocence, the other to determine punishment. If Tsarnaev is convicted, the jury will decide whether he gets life in prison or death.

Among those expected to testify are “first responders” who treated the wounded, marathon spectators and victims who were badly injured.

Attorney Judy Clarke, one of the nation’s foremost death penalty specialists, was expected to deliver the opening statement for Tsarnaev.

Ms Clarke has saved a string of high-profile clients from the death penalty, including Atlanta Olympics bomber Eric Rudolph and the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.

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