theatlanticwire | Alleged Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev become absorbed in
magazines about wild conspiracy theories, mass killings and white
supremacy, all courtesy of a convalescent older gentleman who has trouble facing "the realities of the world," according to his lawyer.
Yesterday, the BBC program Panorama reported
on the telling reading material authorities found in the dead Tsarnaev
brother's apartment. There were, for example, magazines that sympathized
with Hitler, promoted a white supremacist agenda, and outlined how
other mass murderers had performed their crimes.
The Wall Street Journal tracked down
the individual who gave those magazines to Tsarnaev: 67-year-old Donald
Larking. Larking was a client of Zubeidat Tsarnaev, who made a living
in the U.S. caring for the elderly. Larking had been left with
disabilities after surviving being shot in the face during a robbery at
his job 40 years ago.
Larking subsequently became interested in magazines that pushed
right-wing conspiracy theories about 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombings,
and the Newtown school massacre. Tsarnaev, already a fan of conspiracy sites like InfoWars and Islamist websites, became close with the older man:
Ms. Tsarnaev began asking Tamerlan Tsarnaev or his brother to care for Mr. Larking when she wasn't available to work. Mr. Larking's wife, Rosemary, a quadriplegic, also needed help at home. Mr. Tsarnaev seemed to have found a kindred spirit in Mr. Larking. They became friends and had animated talks about politics, people close to the Larking family said.Tamerlan started reading the anti-Semitic American Free Press and absorbed the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
