'Suspect 1' of the Boston Marathon bombings, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, twice disrupted sermons to challenge views expressed by preachers leading services at a local mosque, the Islamic Society of Boston said on Monday, as reported by Reuters.
Tamerlan, nor his younger brother Dzokhar, ever "expressed any hint of violent sentiments or behavior," the group said in a statement. "If they had, the FBI would have immediately been called."
Tamerlan is suspected of planting one of two bombs that killed three people, and wounded more than 200 at the marathon. He was killed in a shootout with police on Thursday while Dzhokhar, taken into custody a day later, allegedly planted the second bomb, a federal criminal complaint filed on Monday revealed.
The two disturbances involved Tamerlan who first interrupted a sermon a the mosque in Cambridge on November 16, of last year, objecting to a preacher's call or Muslims to celebrate American holidays like Independence Day and Thanksgiving, in the same way it would for the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, the society said.
Also on January 18 of this year, Tamerlan also objected to a preacher who called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. a great person, Reuters reported.
When the preacher made the comment about King, Tamerlan reportedly called him a "non-believer" and "hypocrite" who was "contaminating people's minds." Congregants shouted back at him, telling him to leave, which he did, the Associated Press reported. He was told by volunteer leaders at the mosque that he would not be welcome at service should he interrupt a service again.
Dzhokhar was rarely seen at the mosque, only coming in occasionally for prayer, the society said. Neither brother was a regular member of the Cambridge mosque.
After being captured by police, Dzhokhar was charged Monday with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction with intent to harm people.
© 2023 Lawyer Herald All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Get the Most Popular Lawyerherald Stories in a Weekly Newsletter
Join the Discussion
