The two suspects for the Boston Marathon bombing have been identified as brothers Tamerlan Tsarnaev (26) and Dzokhar Tsarnaev (19). The older brother was killed in a firefight early this morning and the younger brother is being searched for in a massive manhunt.

Around 10:30 p.m. shots were reported on the MIT campus. Law enforcement arrived to find a campus police officer, Sean Collider (26), shot dead in his vehicle. The two suspects had allegedly high jacked a Mercedes sports-utlity vehicle and kept the owner as a hostage. After a half hour, the hostage was released at a Cambridge gas station, unharmed.

Authorities located the vehicle in Watertown and a firefight ensued.  Authorities say multiple explosive devices were thrown from the vehicle and some exploded. Tamerlan was shot multiple times in the chest, harmed by an explosive, and later pronounced dead at Beth Israel Hospital. Dzokhar fled the scene and is at large.

The suspects’ family legally emigrated to the U.S. from the Southern Russian republic of Chechnya in the early 2000s, although the younger brother was born in Kyrgyzstan. Chechnya is located between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea and is the location of two wars of independence with Russia. The first war occurred from 1994-1996 and achieved independence for the country. The second war which lasted from 1999 to 2000 ended when Chechen forces surrendered to the Russians. Many Chechens were displaced by the wars and the country was in economic ruin.

Tamerlan was a competitive boxer for a club named Team Lowell won the Rocky Marciano Trophy for being New England Golden Gloves heavyweight champion in 2010. He studied at Bunker Hill Community College. Dzokhar Graduated from a high school in Cambridge, Mass. in 20011, where he was on the wrestling team.

Additional Resources

The Wall Street Journal, Boston Bombing Suspect Killed in Shootout: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324493704578432030609754740.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

Deadspin, Everything we know about Tamerlan Tsarnaev: http://deadspin.com/heres-everything-we-know-about-tamerlan-tsarnaev-the-476415081

Lansing State Journal, Who is Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev? http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/viewart/20130419/NEWS08/304190019/Who-Dzhokhar-Tsarnaev-

U.S.A. Today, Officer Killed in MIT Standoff Identified as Sean Collier: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/19/boston-mit-officer-collier/2096329/

The Wall Street Journal, A Look at Brothers Suspected in the Boston Bombing: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323809304578432501435232278.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories

Slate, Chechnya. Kurguzstan. The Caucasus: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2013/04/tsarnaev_brothers_chechnya_and_boston_bombing_a_primer_on_the_chechnya_kyrgyzstan.html

Fox News, Ties between Islamic Extremist Groups and Chechnya Well-Documented: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/19/ties-between-islamic-extremist-groups-and-chechnya-well-documented/