The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings suffered an injury to his throat and may not be able to talk, a federal official told CNN on Saturday, possibly hindering attempts by authorities to question him about a motive in the attack.
‘Massive manhunt’
With one suspect dead, authorities believe answers to a motive and whether the brothers had help rest with Dzhokar Tsarnaev, who was captured Friday night just minutes after authorities had indicated that a massive manhunt for the suspect appeared to come up empty.
Tsarnaev was in “serious but stable condition” and “not yet able to communicate yet,” Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick told reporters during an impromptu briefing on Saturday. Federal prosecutors are at the heavily guarded Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where Tsarnaev is being treated for wounds. Authorities have not publicly detailed the injuries sustained by the teen, but an official who has been briefed said Tsarnaev has been “intubated and sedated.” The official also spoke on condition of anonymity.
‘Public safety exception’
The government has invoked the public safety exception, a designation that allows investigators to question the teen without reading him his Miranda rights and without a lawyer present, another Justice Department official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN.
Tsarnaev, 19, and his older brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, are accused of setting off two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three people and leaving more than 170 wounded. So far, evidence suggests that the two brothers acted alone in the bombings and subsequent shootout, Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau said.
The brothers come from a family originally from the Russian republic of Chechnya and fled the brutal wars there in the 1990s. It’s unknown how their Chechen roots may have influenced their alleged actions.
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Source: Chelsea J. Carter, CNN
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