| Submit your comments on this article | |||||||
| Home Front: WoT | |||||||
| Tamerlan's other life: wife, daughter | |||||||
| 2013-04-20 | |||||||
Tsarnaev has a three-year-old daughter called Zahara with Katherine Russell, 24, who converted to Islam for her husband, MailOnline can reveal.
'We cannot begin to comprehend how this horrible tragedy occurred. In the aftermath of the Patriot's Day horror, we know that we never really knew Tamerlane Tsarnaev 'Our hearts are sickened by the knowledge of the horror he has inflicted.' The statement was read by Mrs Russell and when asked how her daughter was getting on, she shook her head and said: 'There's nothing for me to say'. The 26-year-old Chechen -- who was shot dead by cops last night -- was regularly seen at his wife's family home in Rhode Island. And neighbours today spoke of their shock at waking up to see Katherine's home being raided by the FBI and cops before dawn this morning. At 5pm today, Katherine was driven back to the house by a relative and flanked by two SUVs being driven by agents from the Department of Homeland Security. Shielding her face, the young mother, wearing a dark-coloured top and sporting mousy blonde hair, was driven into the garage. One of the Homeland security cars remained parked by the house. And asked if Katherine had been questioned, the agents refused to comment, but confirmed: 'We are keeping an eye on the house' One neighbour told how Katherine - who also uses the last name Tsarnaeva - converted to Islam shortly after starting school at Suffolk University in Boston, saying she believed the couple were married. Speaking from the quiet suburb, the neighbour said: 'I knew Katherine was married and she had converted to Islam. 'She went away to college about three or four years ago and I saw her a year later and she was dressed in the Islamic style. Her hair was covered and she was wearing very baggy, flowy clothing.' The neighbour said: 'I saw Katherine with a man and I assumed this was her partner. They came up most weekends and had Massachusetts licence plates on their car, so I thought they lived in Boston and came home at the weekends to see her family. 'They were always together and had a little girl, who must be about three now.' However, the neighbour said the last time she saw the man, matching the pictures of Tsarnaev, was a year ago, adding: 'She moved back home and was living at home with the baby.'
'I never saw him again, I thought maybe he's gone away or he's busy with school,' said the neighbour. It was, the neighbour, admitted, nevertheless a shock when she woke early to see police cars and FBI agents outside the family's house. She said: 'They were there when I woke up early, there was one state patrol car and someone who came out wearing a padded vest with FBI on it. 'With all the activity, I put it together, but I thought this can't be. But then I thought 'well she did make this conversion...I thought Katherine may be friends with one of the brothers, I never thought it was her husband.' Katherine, who has two younger sisters Anna and Becca, grew up with parents Judith and Warren in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, before moving to Boston for college. Neighbours said that Warren works as a physician, while Judith is a nurse. Paula Gillette, 59, a mother-of-one who lives over the road from the Russells, said: 'Before Katherine went to Suffolk she wore normal clothes like jeans, t-shirts and skirts but when she came back she was wearing a white headscarf. I don't think her family are religious. 'I have no idea what she is going to tell her kid. How can you tell them? How can you explain it? 'Who knows if she knew anything about what he was doing? We just don't know'. Meanwhile, the brothers' aunt Maret Tsarnaeva was insistent as she told reporters in Toronto today that her nephew was in love with his wife and daughter. 'He has a wife in Boston and from a Christian family, so you can't tie it to religion,' she said:
However, she admitted Tamerlan 'seemingly did not find himself yet in America, because it's not easy.' She said her brother Anzor Tsarnaev had high expecations for his sons, especially Tamerlan, and was upset when he found out Tamerlan had dropped out of university. Tamerlan wasn't a devout practicing Muslim,' but just recently, maybe two years ago, he started praying five times a day," she said. Tsarnaeva said her brother's family came to the United States in 2002 after she helped them apply for refugee status. She said the family also has two sisters who live in Boston. The older of the two Chechen brothers accused in the Boston marathon bombings once dreamed of representing the US as a boxer, but over the past year, he had turned to radical Islam and got on the path of Jihad.
| |||||||
| Posted by:Steve White |