Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year old suspect in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing, has been captured in Watertown, Massachusetts and is in custody as of 8:45 PM EDT. Tsarnaev’s 26-year old brother, Tamerlan, was killed overnight and the younger suspect has been on the run since the two brothers killed an MIT police officer last night.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers — local, state, and federal — converged on a home in Watertown, and as reporters tried to gain information, news emerged that Dzhokhar was holed up in a boat stored in the back yard on a two-story home.
The two Tsarnaev brothers are suspected of exploding two bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon that killed three people and injured more than 170, many who lost limbs.
Suspect in custody. Officers sweeping the area. Stand by for further info.
Law enforcement officers were concerned Dzhokhar would commit suicide, that he may have been wearing a suicide vest as his older brother reportedly was.
Storified by David Badash· Fri, Apr 19 2013 17:52:16
Suspect in custody. Officers sweeping the area. Stand by for further info.Boston Police Dept.
WHDH-TV: Boston Marathon bombing suspect in custody and is alive.WTVA NEWS
BREAKING: “He’s alive and in custody” WHDH TVNewsBreaker
Suspect’s body still ‘throwing off heat,’ Boston Police Dept. official tells NBC NewsNBC Nightly News
BREAKING NEWS: Globe photographer can hear police say, “We know you’re in there. Come out on your own terms. Come out with your hands up.”The Boston Globe
BREAKING NEWS: Three people taken into custody in New Bedford as part of Boston Marathon terror bombing investigation.The Boston Globe
PHOTO: Law enforcement approach an area where the bombing suspect is reportedly hiding #manhunt pic.twitter.com/wDd2n43KbmThe Boston Globe
BREAKING NEWS: Neighbors say police officers have told them the suspect in the Watertown backyard is covered in blood.Boston.com News
Amtrak is resuming with limited service tonight between NY & Boston. We expect regular service on Saturday.Amtrak
BREAKING PHOTO: Better shot of boat where suspected #BostonMarathon bomber was hiding out. pic.twitter.com/tilsjcOr04 – @PetesWireNewsBreaker
BREAKING PHOTO: Here comes a helicopter with a spotlight pic.twitter.com/WpI2kG5rhCNewsBreaker
7’s Steve Cooper says there’s some concern among police that this suspect has a bomb strapped to his chest #7newsBrad Tatum
The ultimate goal for law enforcement is to take Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in custody alive just like any other suspect. #wcvbKathy Curran
BREAKING NEWS: Police are using ‘flash bangs’ to disorient and distract the suspect. They have seen him sit up.The Boston Globe
BREAKING NEWS: Police are still concerned that the suspect may be wearing a suicide bomb vest, the source tells the Globe.The Boston Globe
Pete Williams. Police “strongly believe he is wounded and … has been there for much of the day”Sam Stein
“Suspect sitting up” on police scanner per Andrea Mitchell on #MSNBC #BostonBombingsGottaLaff
BREAKING NEWS: Police have taken the cover off the boat containing the man believed to be the Marathon bombing suspect. He’s not moving.The Boston Globe
CBS reporting that man is alive in boatJosh Kraushaar
PHOTO: WCVB is reporting that this is the boat where the suspect was hiding behind this Watertown, MA, home pic.twitter.com/vxyZ7o3qnINewsBreaker
Insane. They’re still looking for one of the bombing suspects. This is what Watertown, MA looks like right now. pic.twitter.com/RIa3IQAzqPRay William Johnson
BREAKING: 2 SWAT rescue vehicles have just gone into the perimeter in Watertown, MA pic.twitter.com/OBF6qlt0qONewsBreaker
PHOTO: Shots fired scene centered on Franklin Street in Watertown. pic.twitter.com/WPZkeEoNfu – @TomlinMNewsBreaker
PHOTO: Robot being deployed in Watertown neighborhood where incident is unfolding (WHDH) twitpic.com/ckiidf – @passantinoNewsBreaker
Live Stream right now: Shots fired in Watertown via WCVB Channel 5 Boston fb.me/sC2geJQ6Latino Rebels
BREAKING NEWS: Marathon bombings suspect pinned down in Watertown, according to source.The Boston Globe
CNN: Rapid Flurry Of Gunfire In Watertown livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/cnn-rapi… via @benjysarlinTPM Livewire
INTERPOL issues global security alert in connection with #Boston marathon bombings at request of #US authoritiesinterpol.int/en/News-and-me…INTERPOL
Seen in #Boston pic.twitter.com/0rf6KXmrFMKaila
#MBTA UPDATE: Limited Service has RESUMED on ALL #MBTA modes except the Commuter Rail. MBCR will resume tomorrow (Saturday Schedule).MBTA
Czech Republic clarifies that the Czech Republic is not Chechnya. Good job, good effort, Internet. bit.ly/11mQIyyBenjy Sarlin
Retweet, subtweet, or just take it! Just spread it. #Manhunt #Watertown #Boston #BostonBombing pic.twitter.com/G5tHhRNZKAAnonymous
“@1045CHUMFM: It’s surreal seeing #Boston so deserted as the #manhunt continues -Ashley pic.twitter.com/5x2aR8qZBwâ€Sam D
so much freedom and democracy in boston right now i mean i remember this mission on modern warfare 2 pic.twitter.com/RpeW7Jmpinkieran
Gov Deval Patrick takes the podium. instagram.com/p/YSRgBypGgz/Garrett Quinn
MA Governor Patrick: The stay indoors request is lifted in the Boston area; the T transportation system will re-open shortly.CNBC
“We do not have an apprehension of our suspect this afternoon, but we will.” — MA State Police Col. Albenjennifer bendery
Rep. Peter King, who sits on House Intel Committee, on CNN: “No evidence at all” Boston bombers are tied to overseas terrorist groups.jennifer bendery
From CBS’ Bob Orr: FBI interviewed Tamarlan Tsarnaev 2 yrs ago abt extremist ties, found nothing & closed file. More on CBS Evening NewsMajor Garrett
Police car removed from Watertown shooting scene @nbcnightlynews see window is shot out pic.twitter.com/ILLirFMoMcKerry Sanders
FBI takes computer from NJ sister of bomb suspects #bostonbombings #manhunt bit.ly/10o5SqwNBC Charlotte
The scene at sister’s house in NJ @rtvi #tsarnaev #manhunt #bostonbombing pic.twitter.com/tdbWgkQI2bLev Trubkovich
“They’ve found 7 IEDs”: Michael Isikoff on #MSNBCGottaLaff
Rep. Peter King, who sits on House Intel Committee, on CNN: “No evidence at all” Boston bombers are tied to overseas terrorist groups.jennifer bendery
RT @chucktodd: DHS Sec. Napolitano just entered the West Wing.jennifer bendery
BREAKING: With his brother shot by police, Dzhokhor A. Tsarnaev drove over him, 2 law enforcement officials said. – @BostonDotComNewsBreaker
There are 9000-10,000 law enforcement personnel trying to find one guy right now. #ManHuntMichael Skolnik
PHOTO: As manhunt continues, sign reads ‘Shelter in place remains in effect in #Boston’ pic.twitter.com/M0aT0Gx4AC – @justinjm1NewsBreaker
CBS News: Investigators combing through Boston apt. of bombing suspects; called a “bomb making factory.” – @chrismayphillyNewsBreaker
UPDATE: Seven IEDs recovered so far—in Watertown & some at house in Cambridge, police officials tell NBC. – @RockCenterNBCNewsBreaker
“@OnlyInBOS: UNREAL PHOTO via @MunKYBoii Just got searched for safety measures for the #manhunt in #watertown pic.twitter.com/CffcSKvpJ5″Rachael Gafford
PHOTO: Pres. Obama met with his national security team today on developments in the Boston bombings investigation. pic.twitter.com/z6nh24ZGnMThe White House
Anzor Tsarnaev, father of #Boston bomb suspects Dzhokhar & Tamerlan, says he believes secret services framed sons bbc.in/ZCaItUBBC News (World)
Boston suspects’ father says he believes sons being framed . Also says police investigating #Boston bombings are cowardsCBC News Alerts
Bomb Suspect’s Dad Warns ‘All Hell Will Break Loose’ If Son Dies: The father of suspected Boston Marathon bomb… bit.ly/11LU0LyBBC NEWS
NBC: This AM the President convened a meeting of national security team, in the Situation Room of the White House, to get updates on manhuntNewsBreaker
major mistake from @Fox25news. The White House situation room has been activated. Meaning there is a meeting in it. #PhewMichael Skolnik
CORRECTION: White House situation room was activated. #bostonmarathonFOX 25 News Boston
Friend and former high school classmate, Ty Barros, 21, calls Dzhokhar “a normal regular American kid” to.pbs.org/12sKyxRNewsHour
“He was very gentle, soft spoken. We smoked a lot of weed together, just casual, hanging out.” – Ty Barros on Jahar in high school.Rebecca Ostriker
MIT students are posting their memories of fallen officer Sean Collier here: seancolliermemories.tumblr.com – @AlexJamesFitz pic.twitter.com/qlciC4BukrNewsBreaker
BREAKING: 15 police officers were taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hosp. in Brighton, MA for injuries from last night’s police activity – @ABCNewsBreaker
Kurt Schwartz, Director of Mass Emerg Mgment, says employees in #Boston area who are at work are encouraged to leave work and drive home.Andrea Mitchell
“They’ve gone through about 70% of this area – they have more to go.” Kerry Sanders in #Watertown #Boston #manhunt #bostonbombingAndrea Mitchell
“This is the worst of both worlds–they embedded themselves in US culture–and then they traveled overseas” -Roger Cressey #boston #manhuntAndrea Mitchell
Cressey is a former member of the United States National Security Council
UPDATE: All #Amtrak service is suspended NY to Boston indefinitely. Trains are currently operating as scheduled DC – NY.Amtrak
Acela Express & Northeast Regional service is suspended indefinitely between Providence, RI & Boston due to ongoing police activity.Amtrak Northeast
INCREDIBLE PHOTO OF SWAT TEAMS ON THE STREETS OF WATERTOWN IN BOSTON. #911BUFF twitpic.com/ckglgi911 Operator
Still in wheelchair, @mayortommenino spoke about the strength of #Boston. @NECN #WatertownShooting #WatertownBoston pic.twitter.com/PjFDrMBR5EJustin Michaels
“I don’t have a single American friend.†Profile of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev: b.globe.com/17LsAZRThe Boston Globe
MT @globecynthia: Smart timeline & locator map of events as they unfolded overnight. bostonglobe.com/Page/Boston/20…The Boston Globe
Gov Patrick says “stay indoor request continues for the time being” as the hunt for Boston Marathon bomber continues unabated.The Boston Globe
State Police warns they will do a controlled explosion of items found in Norfolk Street in Cambridge where the brothers lived.The Boston Globe
Bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev became an American citizen on Sept. 11, 2012. (@peteswire, @cbsboston)BuzzFeed News
#RamzanKadyrov, #Chechen Leader, denies #Boston connection through his Instagram. #BostonBombing #BostonMassacre pic.twitter.com/4QHUhTQK97T.L.V
Here’s the translation of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov’s statement:
“The tragic events took place in Boston. The blast killed people. We have previously expressed their condolences to the people of the city and the people of America. Today, as reported by the media, while trying to arrest a Tsarnaea was killed. It would be logical if he was detained and investigated, found all the circumstances and the degree of his guilt. Apparently, the special services needed by all means to calm the result of society. Any attempt to make the connection between Chechnya and Tsarnaevymi if they are guilty, in vain. They grew up in the United States, their attitudes and beliefs were formed there. It is necessary to seek the roots of evil in America. From terrorism to fight the whole world. We know better than anyone else. We wish recovery to all the victims and share the feelings of sorrow Americans. # # Boston # bombing investigation”
VIDEO: Boston bombing suspects’ Uncle Ruslan: “We’re ashamed” and “they are losers” bzfd.it/15rKKk4BuzzFeed
A high school classmate, Stefanie Gardner, confirms to @buzzfeed’s @rfelliott that this is Tsarnaev’s twitter account buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/…Ben Smith
Classmates recognized the bombing suspects, called the FBI: nytimes.com/2013/04/20/us/…AdamSerwer
I’m in Waterton – this helicopter landed in a shopping mall just a few secs ago #5live #nolan pic.twitter.com/tkxa7rP8zgStephen Nolan
“This has nothing to do with Chechnya….Chechens are peaceful people” – uncle of suspects on MSNBCBenjy Sarlin
Bombing Suspect’s Uncle: ‘It’s Crazy.. I Can’t Believe It’ (VIDEO) livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/bombing-… via @sahilkapurJosh Marshall
Uncle of bombers on MSNBC: “Yes, we’re ashamed. They’re children of my brother, who had little influence on them as much as I know.”Benjy Sarlin
US Muslim Group Condemns Attack, Schedules Press Conference livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/us-musli… via @benjysarlinTPM Livewire
RT @billy_baker: Boston Globe photographers are delivering incredible images right now. bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/…Garance Franke-Ruta
MIT release on slain officer Sean Collier, 26, killed in line of duty. RIP bit.ly/15ruXllMajor Garrett
“I can’t believe I went through 4 years of high school & was friends with someone who carried out a terrorist attack” bit.ly/1788W9bMother Jones
EXCLUSIVE: Wrestling Photo, Former Classmate Reactions to Boston Bombing Suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev bit.ly/17waLuNMother Jones
What you should know about Chechnya and the Boston bombing suspects thkpr.gs/Zx3pXyThinkProgress
Update…Recovered —> Car sought in Connecticut in connection to Boston by authorities: ct.gov/despp/cwp/view…Jim Acosta
Clarification: No official confirmation that YouTube user posting extremist videos is same person as Boston suspect bit.ly/117gq8zMother Jones
Classmate: Bombing Suspect Was ‘Class Clown’ shrd.by/SJ6GcrWBZ Boston News
Watch Live Coverage Of WBZ-TV: shrd.by/CA0H70WBZ Boston News
#WANTED: Updated photo of 19 year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev released. Suspect considered armed & dangerous. pic.twitter.com/pzps8ovJTbBoston Police Dept.
Authorities say that the 2 Boston bomb suspects are brothers, are legal permanent residents of Chechen origin – @NBCNews, @PeteWilliamsNBCBreaking News
BREAKING NEWS – CONNECTICUT POLICE ASKED TO PUT OUT AN APB FOR HONDA CRV MA TAG #36ES9 POSSIBLE SUSPECT WITH SUICIDE VEST. via – NBC.Anonymous
Car sought in Connecticut in connection to Boston by authorities: ct.gov/despp/cwp/view…Jim Acosta
Wow “@NBCNews: Photo: City on lockdown; an empty Kenmore Square in #Boston, Mass. (via Andrew Golden) pic.twitter.com/FBZrMSqMjyâ€Ben
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First Lady Melania Trump’s renovation of Jackie Kennedy’s iconic Rose Garden during Donald Trump’s first term drew widespread criticism. Now, President Trump is renovating that space once again—this time transforming it into a Mar-a-Lago-style patio—sparking a fresh wave of backlash from critics.
President Trump defended what Newsweek described as “bulldozing” part of the Rose Garden, saying the change was intended to make the space more accessible for women wearing high heels, according to The Daily Beast. The renovations also involve removing several trees, including a saucer magnolia reportedly planted to honor President John F. Kennedy.
“It’s supposed to have events,” Trump said of the Rose Garden. “Every event you have it’s soaking wet,” he complained.
“The women with the high heels, it’s just too much… the grass, it doesn’t work. We use it for press conferences. It doesn’t work.”
The White House has done little to inform the American people about the construction, leaving critics to ask questions including who is paying for the construction, and is there a federal agency or commission that approves changes to the White House, given its centuries-long history.
“The White House is a national symbol and not the personal property of any president. Permanent changes should be reviewed by preservation experts and consider public sentiment, not be made unilaterally for vanity or political messaging,” wrote Molly Ploofkins, a social media user whose bio says she is a retired Army medic.
“We’ve got money to bulldoze the White House Rose Garden and turn it into a Mar-a-Lago-style patio, but we can’t pay for cancer research for kids or make sure veterans aren’t living off food stamps,” remarked Democratic strategist and former Harris senior advisor Mike Nellis.
“I love how people keep pointing out that private donations paid for it—not the government. I don’t give a s—,” Nellis added later. “The issue is this administration’s priorities. Trump thinks it’s fine to bulldoze the Rose Garden to build a patio so he can relax outside, while doing nothing to improve your life. That’s the criticism. He’s enriching himself, screwing everyone else, and not lifting a goddamn finger to help you. That’s the problem.”
Journalist Jane Coaston remarked, “I am increasingly of the view that Trump wants to ‘be president’ so he can watch musicals and manage the rose garden and he just lets other people be co-president for periods of time so he has more time for musicals and rose garden management.”
“RIP to the White House Rose Garden,” observed former Obama White House photographer Pete Souza. “Today the Rose Garden is being ripped apart as construction begins to pave over the entire grass area. A sad, and unnecessary, day for what used to be the People’s House.”
“The White House rose garden was established in 1913,” noted WAMU’s Esther Ciammachilli, before lamenting, “Trump has just paved paradise and put up a parking lot. This is not his house. It belongs to the American people. He is just a tenant. Nothing is sacred anymore.”
After stalling on a decision in the escalating Middle East crisis and delaying action—some say potentially in defiance of federal law—on the congressionally mandated TikTok ban, President Donald Trump, facing sliding poll numbers, a widely criticized budget bill on the brink of collapse, a looming debt ceiling showdown, and apparent tensions with his Director of National Intelligence, is heading to his Bedminster golf resort for a MAGA dinner and an early weekend likely to include several rounds of golf.
The decision to leave the White House early on Friday comes after he left the G7 early this week, reportedly to make a decision on whether or how to help Israel attack Iran. His former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, jokingly said Trump exited the conference with top world leaders because he was “bored,” The Hill reported.
The President is slated to exit the White House at 2 PM Friday.
“With the world on edge, the president’s early departure underscores a pattern critics say reflects misplaced priorities, favoring fundraising and familiar retreats over the day-to-day demands of governance,” MeidasTouch News reported.
The long weekend also comes just hours after President Trump denounced “too many days off” for federal and other workers, a remark he made on Juneteenth, a federal holiday signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. Trump had campaigned on passing the legislation to honor and celebrate the day that symbolizes the end of slavery, but made no mention of it this year.
“Too many non-working holidays in America,” Trump decried Thursday evening.
“I know this is a federal holiday.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday. “I want to thank all of you for showing up to work. We are certainly here. We’re working 24/7 right now.”
This week, in addition to meeting with his national security team, and an “awkward” meeting with players of the Juventus soccer team, Trump presided over the installation of two 88-foot flag poles and the raising of massive American flags at the White House.
Trump’s long weekend also comes just one week after millions protested his policies across all 50 states and internationally on Saturday, while he attended a military parade celebrating his and the U.S. Army’s birthdays, and after a tragic political assassination of a Democratic lawmaker and her spouse.
It also comes one week after Trump appeared to make a major about-face, saying farm, hotel, and restaurant workers are valuable and extremely difficult to replace. He suggested that ICE would pause targeting those workers, only to turn around just days later to announce “the largest mass deportation program in history.” The pause on deportations was canceled, leading one notable political commentator and legal analyst, Joyce Vance, to wonder if Trump is actually in charge.
“Who’s running the show?” she asked, suggesting someone may have “countermanded” him on the deportations. “Who’s in charge? Trump or someone else?”
President Donald Trump, who campaigned in 2020 on making Juneteenth a federal holiday, used the occasion this year to criticize the number of federal holidays—a comment many viewed as a direct slight against Juneteenth, which marks the symbolic end of slavery in the United States. He did not issue a presidential proclamation recognizing the holiday.
It was President Joe Biden who signed the legislation making Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021. And while he is no longer in office, it was Biden—not Trump—who formally honored and celebrated Juneteenth.
On Thursday, President Biden “took part in the service at the Reedy Chapel AME Church,” in Galveston, “one of the locations where an order announcing the end of slavery in Texas was read on June 19, 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation,” CBS News reported. Biden criticized “ongoing efforts to erase history” during the event, “and appeared to take a shot at his successor, President Trump.”
President Biden said, “Still today, some say to me and you that this doesn’t deserve to be a federal holiday. They don’t want to remember…the moral stain of slavery.”
“Our federal holidays say … who we are as Americans,” Biden also said Thursday, as CNN reported. “What we celebrate says what we value.”
At least twice, Biden appeared to refer to Trump, although not by name.
“When speaking about attempts to erase history, he referenced ‘this guy’ before giving himself the sign of the cross — drawing laughter from the audience,” CBS noted. “At another point, Biden pointed to efforts during his administration to rename military bases named after Confederate military officers, a process mandated by Congress.”
Also on Juneteenth, President Donald Trump launched an angry missive at the number of federal holidays, although he did not mention Juneteenth specifically.
“Too many non-working holidays in America,” Trump declared. “It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed. The workers don’t want it either! Soon we’ll end up having a holiday for every once working day of the year. It must change if we are going to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
While shuttering the federal government while paying workers does cost money, Trump offered no evidence to support his claim that workers don’t want the day off.
Critics berated President Trump.
“Saying there are ‘too many non-working holidays’ on Juneteenth is so on brand for a man who is actively trying to erase Black history,” wrote U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). “This from the same man who’s wasted over $26 million in taxpayer dollars and spent more than 30 days golfing since January 20, 2025? Please.”
“As Americans celebrate Juneteenth,” U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) wrote, “I want to say: Trump can try to erase whatever history he doesn’t like, and he can try to brand ‘diversity’ as something bad. But he won’t succeed. We’ll remember ALL of our history and affirm that diversity is our strength here in America.”
“Not only is he trying to make you work MORE but also he’s taking an apparent dig at Juneteenth. This is coming from the same guy who golfs every weekend. Pathetic,” declared political commentator Harry Sisson.