Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has told investigators he and his brother were motivated by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to carry out their deadly deeds.
Unnamed U.S. officials told The Washington Post that Tsarnaev admitted his role in the bombing, and confirmed that he and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, acted alone.
According to The Post:
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has specifically cited the U.S. war in Iraq, which ended in December 2011 with the removal of the last American forces, and the war in Afghanistan, where President Obama plans to end combat operations by the end of 2014.
USA Today reports Tsarvaev was arraigned in his hospital bed at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on Monday. The 19-year-old has been charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death. According to the Wall Street Journal, those charges could result in the death penalty.
The Boston Marathon bombings killed 8-year-old Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Lu Lingzi, 23. More than 200 people were injured.
