Boston Bombing Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev Influenced By Mysterious Muslim Radical, Shifted To Fundamentalism

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the 26-year-old Boston marathon bombing suspect, years before the tragic incident fell under the influence of a new friend. The friend is a Muslim convert who steered Tsarnaev from a religiously apathetic young man to a strict strain of Islam, said his family, as reported by the Associated Press.

Under the guidance and friendship of this friend, which the Tsarnaev family know only as Misha, Tamerlan gave up boxing and stopped studying music. He also began opposing the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and turned to website and literature claiming that CIA was behind the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001. He also fell to the belief that Jews controlled the world.

“Somehow, he just took his brain,” Ruslan Tsarni said, Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s uncle. He recalled conversations with Tamerlan’s worried father about Misha’s influence. Efforts over several days by the Associated Press to pinpoint the identity and find a way to reach out to Misha has been unsuccessful.

Tamerlan’s relationship with the Muslim radical could be a clue in identifying the motives behind his sudden religious transformation and ultimately, the motives for the Boston Marathon bombing attack. According to two U.S. officials, Tamerlan Tsarnaev has no tie to terrorist groups.

During his religious makeover, Tamerlan maintained strong influence over his siblings, including Dzhokhar, who investigators say carried out the deadly attack by his older brother’s side, which occurred last Monday, April 15. The Boston Marathon attack killed three people, including an 8-year-old boy, and injured 264 people.

“They all loved Tamerlan. He was the eldest one and he, in many ways, was the role model for his sisters and his brother," said Elmira Khozhugov, 26, the ex-husband of one of Tamerlan’s siblings, his sister, Ailina. He added that, "You could always hear his younger brother and sisters say, `Tamerlan said this,' and `Tamerlan said that.'" Dzhokhar loved his brother and would always do what Tamerlan would say.

Khozhugov also said that, “"Even my ex-wife loved him so much and respected him so much. I'd have arguments with her and if Tamerlan took my side, she would agree: `OK, if Tamerlan said it.'"

Khozhugov, who is now based in Almaty, Kazakhstan, said he was close to Tamerlan when he was married and they kept in touch. They drifted apart, however, the past two years.

When Khozhugov saw the news and found out that Tamerlan was Suspect No. 1, he could not believe it. "But after a few hours of thinking about it, I thought it could be possible that he did it."

Based on preliminary written interviews with Dzhokhar, who was arrested last Friday ad is now at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, U.S. officials believed the brothers were motivated by their religious views. It is however, still unclear, what exactly those views are.

Tamerlan was eventually killed at a police shootout Friday. His brother, was charged Monday with using mass weapon of destruction to kill, and he could possibly face the death penalty if convicted of the crime.