Boston authorities have confirmed three people have been detained in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing. The suspects have not been identified.
According to a law enforcement source, all three people are students. At least one of the students is a United States citizen. The trio allegedly faces charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. No other details about their connection to the case were released. After news broke of the arrests on Wednesday morning, the Boston Police Department assured citizens there is no “threat to public safety.”
The arrests come after authorities confirmed they are investigating female DNA found on a bomb fragment. Officials warned that the DNA does not automatically mean the Tsarnaev brothers had an accomplice. Among the numerous possibilities is that the DNA is from a female spectator wounded in the attack, or a salesclerks who sold parts used to construct the bomb. A DNA sample was taken Monday from Katherine Russell, the widow of suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev. The sample will allow authorities determine if the DNA on the bomb component belongs to Russell or her 3-year-old daughter with Tamerlan.
Tamerlan, 26, died on April 19th during a shootout with police. His younger brother, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was captured in Watertown later that day. The teen confessed to carrying out the bombing with Tamerlan. He told investigators that his brother felt jihadists needed to fight for Islam. Dzhokhar has been charged with one count of using a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death and one count of malicious destruction of property resulting in death. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Three people were killed and more than 170 others were wounded in the bombing.
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