Maret Tsarnaev spoke out today about her two young nephews, accused of being behind the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday. Here’s what you need to know about Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s Canadian connection.
1) She Lives in Etobicoke
Tsarnaev, who became a Canadian citizen in 2003, lives in the Toronto, Ontario suburb of Etobicoke.
2) She’s a Lawyer
As CBC News reports, Tsarnaev and her three siblings are lawyers, including Ruslan Tsarni, who has told American media he wishes his nephews never existed.
3) She Hadn’t Seen Dzhokhar and Tamerlan in Years
Another new photo of Boston Bombing Suspects Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev together at the Marathon… #Manhunt twitter.com/MentalityMag/s…
— Mentality Magazine (@MentalityMag) April 20, 2013
Tsarnaev told the Toronto Sun that she hadn’t seen the boys in about five or six years.
“This is a huge tragedy for the family,” she told the Sun. She reportedly spoke to 26-year old Tamerlan two years ago after the birth of his daughter and again about a year ago.
4) She Believes They Are Being Framed
Estos son los dos santos niños de Atocha, al de la izquierda le aplicaron la 37. Tamerlan Tsarnaev y Dzhokjar twitter.com/bienvenidorv/s…
— Bienvenido Rojas (@bienvenidorv) April 19, 2013
“My nephews cannot be part of this terrible, horrible act that was committed in the streets of Boston,” she told CBC News. She says the FBI has no evidence aside from photos of her nephews near the marathon’s finish line.
5) She Says the Brothers Are Good People
EXCLUSIVE: Photo of Tamerlan Tsarnaev boxing (via @necn) twitter.com/ErickWeber/sta…
— Erick Weber (@ErickWeber) April 19, 2013
“I know them as angels,” she told the National Post. “I’m suspicious that this was staged.”