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Both Boston bombing suspects had been recipients of social welfare benefits from the state of Massachusetts, with the elder brother receiving assistance as recently as last year.
The Boston Herald was among the first to report the story, which has fueled speculation that Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s descent into jihadism was funded by taxpayers. It’s understood his radicalization occurred prior to 2012, when his benefits stopped.
Tamerlan and his brother, Dzhokhar, claimed certain benefits as children and some into their adult lives. Officials in Massachusetts were keen to stress that neither brother was claiming benefits at the time of the heinous act at the Boston Marathon, which killed three and injured 176.
Tamerlan, the older brother who was killed in a gunfight on the night of April 19, hasn’t been on the welfare lines since 2012. Around this time, he and his wife, Katherine Russell, failed to meet “eligibility limits.” The older Tsarnaev was a stay-at-home dad to the couple’s 3-year-old baby while Russell worked 70-hour weeks as a health care aide.
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