Boston bombing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev destroyed key evidence in the wake of the April 15 terrorist attack at the marathon finish line and then tried to fabricate more bombs after the initial detonations, a memo from the Department of Justice said.
The memo says that Mr. Tsarnaev “discard[ed] a remaining bomb detonator and smash[ed] his cellphones,” The Los Angeles Times reported.
The memo, which was apparently approved by Attorney General Eric Holder, was made public in court Wednesday to discuss Mr. Tsarnaev’s confinement.
Its release came as defense attorneys were arguing in court filings: “The government has not alleged that Mr. Tsarnaev has done or said anything since his arrest to commit violence, incite violence or engage in communications that pose a security threat,” The Associated Press reported. Mr. Tsarnaev’s attorneys were asking the court to lift the special restrictions on Mr. Tsarnaev’s detention that have left him in near-complete isolation.
Mr. Tsarnaev is charged in the April 15 bombings in Boston that left three dead and dozens injured.
Mr. Holder had sent the memo on Aug. 27 to the director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to argue for harsh detention for the suspect. Mr. Holder also wrote that Mr. Tsarnaev and his now-dead brother, Tamerlan, “made additional bombs” after the initial deadly bombings and talked others into trying “to destroy evidence related to the attack,” The Los Angeles Times reported.
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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