Cover Stories

For just a few minutes, it seemed as if the dragnet that had shut down a metropolitan area of millions while legions of police went house to house looking for the suspected Boston Marathon bomber had failed.

Weary officials lifted a daylong order that had kept residents in their homes, saying it was fruitless to keep an entire city locked down. Then one man emerged from his home and noticed blood on the pleasure boat parked in his backyard. He lifted the tarp and found the wounded 19-year-old college student known the world over as Suspect No. 2.

Soon after that, the 24-hour drama that paralyzed a city and transfixed a nation was over.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture touched off raucous celebrations in and around Boston, with chants of "USA, USA" as residents flooded the streets in relief and jubilation after four tense days since twin explosions ripped through the marathon's crowd at the finish line, killing three people and wounding more than 180.

The 19-year-old — whose older brother and alleged accomplice was killed earlier Friday morning in a wild shootout in suburban Boston — was in serious condition Saturday at a hospital protected by armed guards, and he was unable to be questioned to determine his motives.

U.S. officials said a special interrogation team for high-value suspects would question him without reading him his Miranda rights, invoking a rare public safety exception triggered by the need to protect police and the public from immediate danger.

President Barack Obama said there are many unanswered questions about the Boston bombings, including whether the two men had help from others. He urged people not to rush judgment about their motivations.

Dzhokhar and his brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were identified by authorities and relatives as ethnic Chechens from southern Russia who had been in the U.S. for about a decade and were believed to be living in Cambridge, just outside Boston. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died early in the day of gunshot wounds and a possible blast injury. He was run over by his younger brother in a car as he lay wounded, according to investigators.

During a long night of violence Thursday and into Friday, the brothers killed an MIT police officer, severely wounded another lawman during a gun battle and hurled explosives at police in a desperate getaway attempt, authorities said.

Late Friday, less than an hour after authorities lifted the lockdown, they tracked down the younger man holed up in the boat, weakened by a gunshot wound after fleeing on foot from the overnight shootout with police that left 200 spent rounds behind.

The resident who spotted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in his boat in his Watertown yard called police, who tried to persuade the suspect to get out of the boat, said Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.

"He was not communicative," Davis said.

Instead, he said, there was an exchange of gunfire — the final volley of one of the biggest manhunts in American history.

The violent endgame unfolded just a day after the FBI released surveillance-camera images of two young men suspected of planting the pressure-cooker explosives at the marathon's finish line, an attack that put the nation on edge for the week.

Watertown residents who had been told Friday morning to stay inside behind locked doors poured out of their homes and lined the streets to cheer police vehicles as they rolled away from the scene.

Celebratory bells rang from a church tower. Teenagers waved American flags. Drivers honked. Every time an emergency vehicle went by, people cheered loudly.

"They finally caught the jerk," said nurse Cindy Boyle. "It was scary. It was tense."

Police said three other people were taken into custody for questioning at an off-campus housing complex at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where the younger man may have lived.

"Tonight, our family applauds the entire law enforcement community for a job well done, and trust that our justice system will now do its job," said the family of 8-year-old Martin Richard, who died in the bombing.

Queries cascaded in after authorities released the surveillance-camera photos — the FBI website was overwhelmed with 300,000 hits per minute — but what role those played in the overnight clash was unclear. State police spokesman Dave Procopio said police realized they were dealing with the bombing suspects based on what the two men told a carjacking victim during their night of crime.

The search by thousands of law enforcement officers all but shut down the Boston area for much of the day. Officials halted all mass transit, including Amtrak trains to New York, advised businesses not to open and warned close to 1 million people in the city and some of its suburbs to unlock their doors only for uniformed police.

Around midday, the suspects' uncle, Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Md., pleaded on television: "Dzhokhar, if you are alive, turn yourself in and ask for forgiveness."

Until the younger man's capture, it was looking like a grim day for police. As night fell, they announced that they were scaling back the hunt and lifting the stay-indoors order across the region because they had come up empty-handed.

But then the break came and within a couple of hours, the search was over. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured about a mile from the site of the shootout that killed his brother.

A neighbor described how heavily armed police stormed by her window not long after the lockdown was lifted — the rapid gunfire left her huddled on the bathroom floor on top of her young son.

"I was just waiting for bullets to just start flying everywhere," Deanna Finn said.

When at last the gunfire died away and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken from the neighborhood in an ambulance, an officer gave Finn a cheery thumbs-up.

"To see the look on his face, he was very, very happy, so that made me very, very happy," she said.

Authorities said the man dubbed Suspect No. 1 — the one in sunglasses and a dark baseball cap in the surveillance-camera pictures — was Tamerlan Tsarnaev, while Suspect No. 2, the one in a white baseball cap worn backward, was his younger brother.

Chechnya, where the brothers grew up, has been the scene of two wars between Russian forces and separatists since 1994, in which tens of thousands were killed in heavy Russian bombing. That spawned an Islamic insurgency that has carried out deadly bombings in Russia and the region, although not in the West.

The older brother had strong political views about the United States, said Albrecht Ammon, 18, a downstairs-apartment neighbor in Cambridge. Ammon quoted Tsarnaev as saying that the U.S. uses the Bible as "an excuse for invading other countries."

Also, the FBI interviewed the older brother at the request of a foreign government in 2011, and nothing derogatory was found, according to a federal law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official did not identify the foreign country or say why it made the request.

Exactly how the long night of crime began was unclear. But police said the brothers carjacked a man in a Mercedes-Benz in Cambridge, just across the Charles River from Boston, then released him unharmed at a gas station.

They also shot to death a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer, 26-year-old Sean Collier, while he was responding to a report of a disturbance, investigators said.

The search for the Mercedes led to a chase that ended in Watertown, where authorities said the suspects threw explosive devices from the car and exchanged gunfire with police. A transit police officer, 33-year-old Richard Donohue, was shot and critically wounded, authorities said.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ran over his already wounded brother as he fled, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation. At some point, he abandoned his car and ran away on foot.

The brothers had built an arsenal of pipe bombs, grenades and improvised explosive devices and used some of the weapons in trying to make their getaway, said Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Watertown resident Kayla Dipaolo said she was woken up overnight by gunfire and a large explosion that sounded "like it was right next to my head ... and shook the whole house."

"It was very scary," she said. "There are two bullet holes in the side of my house, and by the front door there is another."

Tamerlan Tsarnaev had studied accounting as a part-time student at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston for three semesters from 2006 to 2008, the school said. He was married with a young daughter.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was registered as a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Students said he was on campus this week after the Boston Marathon bombing. The campus closed down Friday along with colleges around the Boston area, and it remained closed Saturday as law enforcement continued investigating.

The men's father, Anzor Tsarnaev, said in a telephone interview with the AP from the Russian city of Makhachkala that his younger son, Dzhokhar, is "a true angel." He said his son was studying medicine.

"He is such an intelligent boy," the father said. "We expected him to come on holidays here."

A man who said he knew Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Krystle Campbell, the 29-year-old restaurant manager killed in Monday's bombing, said he was glad Dzhokhar had survived.

"I didn't want to lose more than one friend," Marvin Salazar said.

"Why Jahar?" he asked, using Tsarnaev's nickname. "I want to know answers. That's the most important thing. And I think I speak for almost all America. Why the Boston Marathon? Why this year? Why Jahar?"

Two years ago, the city of Cambridge awarded Dzhokhar Tsarnaev a $2,500 scholarship. At the time, he was a senior at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, a highly regarded public school whose alumni include Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.

Tsarni, the men's uncle, said the brothers traveled here together from Russia. He called his nephews "losers" and said they had struggled to settle in the U.S. and ended up "thereby just hating everyone."

Sullivan and Associated Press writers Stephen Braun, Jack Gillum and Pete Yost reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Mike Hill, Katie Zezima, Pat Eaton-Robb and Steve LeBlanc in Boston, Rodrique Ngowi in Watertown, Mass. and Jeff Donn in Cambridge, Mass., contributed to this report.

His Eminence Alhaji Muhammed S’aad Abubakar, His Eminence John Cardinal Onaiyekan and Governor of Akwa-Ibom State Godswill Akpabio were among those honored today at the 2013 annual LEADERSHIP Conference and Awards Ceremony. The ceremony which beg...

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has threatened to launch violent attacks on mosques, hajj camps, Islamic institutions, large congregations of Islamic followers, as well as assassinations of clerics who propagate doctrines of hate.

According to MEND in a statement issued on Sunday evening and signed by its spokesperson Gbomo Jomo, the proposed attacks is a crusade to save Christianity in Nigeria from annihilation and will form the core mission of this crusade code named “Operation Barbarossa”.

According to MEND, "On behalf of the hapless Christian population in Nigeria, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (M.E.N.D), will from Friday, May 31, 2013, embark on a crusade to save Christianity in Nigeria from annihilation. The bombings of mosques, hajj camps, Islamic institutions, large congregations in Islamic events and assassinations of clerics that propagate doctrines of hate, will form the core mission of this crusade code named “Operation Barbarossa”.

"This campaign will not in any way interfere with the ongoing “Hurricane Exodus” – which on Saturday, April 13, 2013, at about 01:00 Hrs, swept through the Ewellesuo community, Nembe, Bayelsa State, leaving the destruction of well 62, belonging to Shell Petroleum in its wake. We may only consider a ceasefire of “Operation Barbarossa” if the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Catholic Church and Henry Okah, one of the few leaders in the Niger Delta region we respect for his integrity, intervenes. Also the assurance for a cessation of hostilities targeted at Christians in their places of worship, made privately or publicly by the real Boko Haram leadership will make us call off this crusade."

Contacted on the development, the Media Coordinator of the JTF, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu stated that those attempting to christen themselves MEND today are impostors and a bundle of "never do wells" who want to be accorded undue recognition at the ex pence of the peace currently savoured in the Niger Delta, "The lack of focus and genuineness of intention of this gang seeking to hide under the name of MEND is apparent in its statements. As it continues to contradict itself. "

"You recall that it had earlier claimed to be acting under the directives of Henry Orkar and now it refers to the same person as just one of the respected leaders of the Niger Delta. Now they are seeking sympathy and acceptance of the public by claiming to want to avenge for Christians. Niger Deltans be not deceived by the tricks of the devil. Lawlessness is never a solution. Obviously their aim is to engender panic and a sense of insecurity in the region using MEND's name but we assure them that their cup is full and will soon be caught up with by the law."

“We urge all Community leaders, opinion leaders and all peace loving Niger Deltans not to panic but rather firmly dissociate themselves from these criminals and to collaborate with the JTF and other security agencies in ensuring that we rid our society of these criminals."

On MEND’s claim of being responsible for the massive oil leakages from Oil Well 62 in Ewerusuo community in Nembe kingdom,the JTF spokesperson argued that the claim is false. "The claim by those criminals of blowing up a well head is false as our troops on patrol along Nembe Creek 1 Flow Station have earlier reported an incident of oil spill on water around Owelesu Community in Nembe resulting from the activities of oil thieves and a joint patrol team comprising of JTF troops and Nigerian Navy personnel was able to trace the spillage."

"The troops observed a fresh dug out possibly for laying illegal pipeline and fresh foot prints which were traced to a small camp. Items such as hack saw for cutting pipeline, 3 shovels, food items, cooking pots, sleeping mat, foot wears, bags of pure water and clothes were found in the camp. It was suspected that some miscreants were trying to open up a new illegal loading point. The camp has been destroyed in situ and patrols will be maintained. The oil well was shut down to avoid further spill pending repairs."

The Northern Speakers Forum on Sunday appealed to the Federal Government to include Northern Governors in the Amnesty Committee set up to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.

A communiqué signed by the communiqué chairman, Mr Stephen Onmeje, and made available to newsmen in Minna, commended the Federal Government for taking steps that would lead to negotiations and possible acceptance of the amnesty.

The speakers also want various state governments, elders and traditional rulers from the region to ensure that peace returned to the region in the interest of  the region’s development.

They called on the National Assembly to hasten the passage of the Hydro Power Producing Area Development Commission (HYPPADEC) Amendment Act, 2012 to ensure the commencement of the commission’s activities.

“Conference commends the Niger Government for contributing substantially to the success of the HYPPADEC and recommended that all states that cut across rivers Niger and Benue to be included in HYPPADEC states.

“On Mambilla Hydro Electricity Project, the forum resolved to continue persuade the Federal Government for the actualisation of the project.

“Conference thanked Federal Government for the construction of new Federal Secretariat in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, in line with its communiqué after the forum’s 22nd meeting held in Lafia on Dec. 10, 2011,’’ it said.

The communiqué also commended the present constitutional amendment process and suggest that the contentious issues, such absolute autonomy of the legislature, local government autonomy and revenue sharing be properly addressed.

It also called on the Federal Government to repair the dilapidated roads, such as  Lambatta-Lapai-Bida-Mokwa road in Niger, Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari road in Yobe as well as the completion of Kano-Maiduguri road expansion.

“The conference appealed to the Federal Government to revisit the 33KVA power project from Gombe to Damaturu and Maiduguri,’’ the communique said. (NAN)

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday held a closed-door meeting with his service chiefs to discuss how the federal government would respond to the purported rejection of its proposed amnesty for the Boko Haram by the sect’s leadership. On Thursd...

Another chapter will this year be opened in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, when business mogul Alhaji Aliko Dangote kicks off his plan to establish a refinery in the country.

A note left on the corpse of the killed former deputy governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chudi Nwike, by his kidnappers has shown that they were provoked by the family’s failure to bring the ransom they demanded for his release in cash. Nwike’s...

Gunmen struck in the early hours of Thursday, killing four policemen near their station in Babangida, headquarters of Tarmuwa local government area in Yobe, Police Commissioner in the state Sanusi Rufai said.

Rufai told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the policeman were attacked as they took guard behind the sand-bags which provided barriers at the entrance of the station.

He said five of the gunmen were, however, killed.

He said that although they failed in their plan to burn down the station, the gunmen carted away some rifles.

“The gunmen came around midnight trying to enter the police station with intent to burn it down, but were resisted by the police.

“We lost four policemen and their rifles were carted away but the station was protected," Rufai said. (NAN)

Four journalists with LEADERSHIP Newspapers have been detained at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, on the orders of President Goodluck Jonathan. Two out of the four LEADERSHIP staff being held at the Police headquarters have been moved to an undisclosed ...

The Adamawa Police Command on Saturday confirmed that some unidentified gunmen attacked Midlu Village in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa, killing 11 people.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mohammed Ibrahim, confirmed the incident to the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola.

``So far, the information available to me is that 11 people lost their lives in the village, including two private security men at the deputy governor's house,’’ Ibrahim said.

Meanwhile, an eye witness, who pleaded anonymity, told NAN that the incident took place in the early hours of Saturday around 2 a.m.

``The attackers went from house-to-house, picking out their victims, who they even called by name.

``They also went to the house of the Deputy Governor, Mr Bala Ngalari in the village where they shot some people and wounded some.

``They killed many people but I don't know exactly how many were killed or injured because I fled the village,’’ he said.

The dreaded outlawed Niger Delta militia group known as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has provoked a security scare with the issuance of a warning over its decision to resume violent attacks on some unidentified locations in the region over alleged existence of a fake letter used to indict Henry Okah at the South African Court.

According to MEND, theFake letter was allegedly forged by the Nigerian and South African Governments and claimed to have originated from the group ahead of the bomb attack on the Independent Day.

The statement of MEND signed by Jomo Gbomo stated that after a careful deliberation and other considerations of the facts of the case, they have resolved to launch a sustained attack on the region and code named Hurricane Exodus.

According the MEND, "wiith effect from 00:00Hrs, Friday 05, April 2013, The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (M.E.N.D), will commence with a plague of sustained attacks codenamed “Hurricane Exodus”.Hurricane Exodus is a direct repercussion of a forged threat letter contrived by the Nigerian and South African governments purporting to have originated from MEND. This fake letter was used as evidence against Henry Okah for which a thirteen (13) years sentence was passed."

The group accused one of  the prosecution’s second witnesses and a member of the Amnesty Implementation Committee of exclaiming in court over the purported lack of genuiness of the  letter,"after failing to catch the prosecutor’s eye who wanted him to lie under oath.We are now determined to conjure this imaginary trumped up threat into a painful reality.The attacks will be sustained until an unreserved apology is offered to MEND and the Nigerian government shows their willingness to dialogue. The same way they are willing to dialogue with Boko Haram."

Reacting to the development,the authorities of the Joint Military Task Force code named Operation Pulo Shield said though they are aware of the statement made by those they described as "some persons parading themselves as MEND", "the people of the region are not in any bondage and therefore do not require armed struggle or emancipation as claimed by this threatening gang. "

"What Niger Deltans are in a dire need of now, is peace for sustainable development having emerged from the dark days of turbulence in the region. Informed by this development we have  effected some redeployment to tackle any upheaval. This set of people are advised to tow the path of law and order in addressing whatever grievance they have and to desist from any action that will upset the peace and development of the Niger Delta."

" The good and peace loving people of the Niger Delta are enjoined to dissociate themselves, their communities and leadership from this unwholesome approach as portrayed by this group."

The presidency has debunked report in the media that the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan was undergoing another round of medical treatment abroad, saying she was in Germany only to attend to her ailing mother, Mama Sisi, apart from holidaying with her children who are currently on Easter vacation abroad.

An online newspaper had reported on Saturday that Dame Patience who had fell ill again and had travelled to Germany and Spain and Germany was also contemplating receiving medical treatment from a United States Hospital. 

But Special Assistant on Media to the first lady, Mr. Ayo Osinlu in a statement noted that apart form attending to her sick mother, Dame Patience "has a history of visiting the hospital in Germany even before she became the First Lady, thus making her medical trips routine", adding that "It is also instructive to state that medical experts have recommended that every human being should undergo medical check up every six months, even if not suffering ill health".

The statement made available to LEADERSHIP reads in parts: "Our attention has been attracted by some curiosity in a cross section of the public and particularly the media, about the movement of Her Excellency, the First Lady, Dame (Dr) Patience Goodluck Jonathan.

"For the avoidance of doubts and ambiguities, we wish to state that the First Lady travelled to Dubai, after which she proceeded to Paris, France, to participate in the 1st Green Women Conference, which took place in Paris on March 17, 2013 where she received the 2013 Global Women Leaders’ Award for Peace.

"She thereafter proceeded to Italy from where she went to Germany to see her mother, Mama Sisi, who is currently receiving medical attention. The First Lady is spending sometime overseeing the management of her mother’s condition. She is also using the opportunity to spend quality time with her holidaying children before they return to school, as they are with her to see their grandmother.

"It is unfortunate that again, some media houses have allowed themselves to be used by dedicated mischief makers against the basic tenet of professional journalism, which regards truth as sacred. Therefore, hospital visitations of our leaders should not become leading media issues or attract disrespectful comments, just as the current circumstances of former President Mandela and other African leaders in similar situations, and even those who died, have not attracted negative comments from their people.

"While urging a more charitable disposition towards one another as our brothers’ keepers, we wish to express our appreciation for the sincere interests of those who have shown genuine concern through their enquiries.

The First Lady is expected back within the next week".

Ahead this year's Easter celeberation, the United States Department of State has warned American citizens living in Nigeria over possible terrorist attacks in the country.

Issuing this warning through the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, the Department of State said that given the history of attacks throughout Nigeria during previous holiday weekends, as well as the recent attack in Kano on March 18 and the failed attempt in Kano on March 23, all U.S. citizens living and traveling in Nigeria to take extra precautions for your personal security and safety.

"Due to the continued threat of kidnapping of expatriates country-wide, including recent kidnappings on Victoria Island in Lagos, the U.S. Mission recommends that U.S. citizens and organizations maintain accountability for the whereabouts of their staff, test communication systems to ensure that they are working properly, and ensure secure means of transport for any necessary travel.

"Review your personal security plans; remain aware of your surroundings, including local events; and monitor local news stations for updates.  Maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security and follow instructions of local authorities" the warning reads in part.

The U.S. Mission also advised all U.S. citizens to be particularly vigilant around churches and other places of worship, locations where large crowds may gather, government facilities, and areas frequented by expatriates and foreign travelers during the upcoming holiday weekend. 

Noting that security measures in Nigeria remain heightened due to threats posed by extremist groups, the American government said that U.S. citizens should expect additional police and military checkpoints, additional security, and possible road blocks throughout the country during the holiday weekend.