Tsarnaev

Tsarnaev is a surname of Chechen origin that has been associated with a family prominent in connection with the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. The most widely referenced members are Tamerlan Tsarnaev (1986–2013) and his brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (born 1993). The brothers and their family emigrated to the United States and lived in the Boston area.

In April 2013, during the Boston Marathon, two bombs exploded near the finish line, killing three spectators and injuring more than 260 people. Investigations identified the suspects as Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The ensuing days featured a large-scale manhunt across the Boston metropolitan area, including a deadly shootout with police in the Watertown area. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during the confrontation; Dzhokhar was later captured, hiding in a boat in Watertown.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was tried in federal court in 2015, convicted on multiple counts including use of a weapon of mass destruction, and sentenced to death. In 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit vacated the death sentence and ordered a new penalty phase. A subsequent resentencing resulted in life imprisonment without the possibility of release. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev remains imprisoned.

The Tsarnaev case is one of the most high-profile examples of domestic terrorism in the United States and has influenced public discussion on issues such as radicalization, security measures for mass events, and prosecutorial approaches in terrorism cases.