Last night we reported that suspected Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators he and his deceased brother were motivated by religious fervor but acted alone.
Today the Washington Postreports that Tsarnaev, who is hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds, also said the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan motivated him and his brother to carry out the first successful bombing in America since Sept. 11, 2001.
U.S. officials tell the Post that Tsarnaev, 19, has acknowledged his role in planting pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15. The subsequent explosions killed three people and injured more than 260.
On Monday CNN reported that Dzhokhar said his older brother, Tamerlan, planned the Boston Marathon bombing, and Newsday reported that Dzhokhar said the brothers learned how to make pressure cooker bombs on the Internet.
Tamerlan, 26, died during a gunfight with police in Watertown, Mass. late Thursday night. Much has been written about his dramatic embrace of Islam and the "domineering effect" he had on his younger brother.
Dzhokhar, who was charged on Monday, agreed to "voluntary detention," and a probable cause hearing was set for May 30. He is likely also to face state charges in the shooting death of MIT police officer Sean Collier.
SEE ALSO: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Allegedly Told Police He And His Brother Acted Alone With Religious Motivation
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