Chechen president comments on Boston bombing suspects
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov released a statement Friday denying any link between his nation and the actions of the suspected Boston Marathon bombers. The “roots of evil,” he said, were in America.
In a message written in Russian and posted to the photo-sharing website Instagram, Kadyrov expressed condolences to all Americans, but said his country had nothing to do with the suspects’ actions.
“The whole world needs to do battle with terrorism,” the statement read. “We know this better than anybody else. We wish for the recovery of the wounded and we share in the grief of Americans.”
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed during a shootout with police, while his brother, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, remains the focus of an intense manhunt. Prior to becoming suspects in the deadly bombing, the brothers had spoken to friends and others of their Chechen roots.
“Any attempts to make a connection between Chechnya and the Tsarnaevs, if they are guilty, is futile,” wrote Kadyrov. “They grew up in the U.S., their views and beliefs were formed there. One needs to look for the roots of evil in America.”
Kadyrov suggested that Tamerlan’s death was the result of security forces who “needed a result at any cost to calm society.”
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Bombing suspects are brothers: Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev
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