Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s ex-girlfriend said he used to beat her if she wore Western clothing and tried hard to turn her against the United States.
Nadine Ascencao, 24, said that in her three years of dating Tsarnaev, he tried to change her into an Islamic extremist, The Daily Mail reported. She said in the report that she was originally obsessed with him but that she had a “lucky escape.”
Ms. Ascencao said in an interview with The Sun: “One minute he’s this funny, normal guy who liked boxing and having fun, the next he is praying four times a day, watching Islamic videos and talking insane nonsense. He became extremely religious and tried to brainwash me to follow Islam. Tamerlan said I couldn’t be with him unless I because a Muslim. He wanted me to hate America like he did.”
Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a shootout with police stemming from the April 15 Boston Marathon bombings. His brother, Dzhokhar, 19, who is the second suspect in the terrorist attacks, is receiving long-term medical care under law enforcement watch at Fort Devens in Massachusetts.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.