When was the Boston Marathon bombing?
THE BOSTON Marathon bombing was a horrific act of terrorism committed by Islamic extremists on US soil.
Here's what you need to know about the depraved attack which killed three people, wounded hundreds, and triggered a huge manhunt across the city.
When was the Boston Marathon bombing?
The Boston Marathon is an annual race held in the Boston, Massachusetts area on the third Monday of April to coincide with Patriots' Day, a state holiday celebrating the first battles of the American Revolutionary War.
Many people look forward to the event, but to some, it is just a reminder of the lives that were lost during the Boston Marathon bombing.
On April 15, 2013, the race started out as it had in previous years, but towards the end, two pressure cooker bombs detonated approximately 210 yards apart at the finish line on Boylston Street near Copley Square.
The first exploded outside Marathon Sports at 671–673 Boylston Street at 2.49pm.
Fourteen seconds later, a second bomb exploded a block further west at 755 Boylston Street.
The race had been going for just over four hours when the devices were detonated and blew out all the windows in the nearby buildings.
How many victims were there?
The explosions killed three people and injured and maimed at least 264 others.
The casualties were so extensive 27 local hospitals were needed to treat the wounded.
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At least 14 people required amputations, with some suffering traumatic amputations as a direct result of the blasts.
The victims included:
- Lu Lingzi, 23, a graduate student from China studying at Boston University
- Krystle Campbell, 29, of Medford, Massachusetts, who was there with her best friend to take pictures
- Martin Richard, 8, of Dorchester, Massachusetts, who was with his family near the finish line waiting for his father to complete the marathon
MIT campus police officer Sean Collier, 26, was also fatally shot in his patrol car by Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his older brother in an unsuccessful attempt to steal his gun and flee in his SUV.
Where is Dzhokhar Tsarnaev now?
After a city-wide manhunt, authorities were able to capture Tsarnaev but his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, did not make it.
He was ultimately shot to death after exchanging gunfire with police, according to .
As for Tsarnaev, who was 19 years old at the time of the bombing, he has since been found guilty of all 30 charges against him and was sentenced to death on May 15, 2015.
“I would like to now apologize to the victims, to the survivors,” Tsarnaev told the court during sentencing, via .
“I want to ask forgiveness of Allah and his creation.”
He added: “I am sorry for the lives I have taken, for the suffering that I have caused you, for the damage I have done – irreparable damage.
“In case there is any doubt, I am guilty of this attack, along with my brother."
Since then, Tsarnaev and his lawyers have tried to get the death sentence overturned, and they were ultimately successful in 2020 after the 1st Circuit overturned the sentence, however, the Supreme Court later reinstated it by a 6-3 vote.
While Tsarnaev might've been sentenced to death, it is not known when he will be executed because Attorney General Merrick Garland imposed a moratorium on federal executions in 2021.
The halt was issued after the Trump administration carried out 13 executions in six months and is meant to give the Justice Department time to conduct a review of its policies and procedures, according to the .
"The Department of Justice must ensure that everyone in the federal criminal justice system is not only afforded the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States, but is also treated fairly and humanely,” Garland said. “That obligation has special force in capital cases.”
At this time, it is unclear when federal executions will resume.