In the statement, Ailina and Bella Tsarnaev said "Our heart goes out the victims of last week's bombing. It saddens us to see so many innocent people hurt after such a callous act. As a family, we are absolutely devastated by the sense of loss and sorrow this has caused. We don't have any answers but we look forward to a thorough investigation and hope to learn more. We ask the media to respect our privacy during this difficult time."
Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was an ardent reader of jihadist websites and extremist propaganda, U.S. officials said Tuesday, adding another piece to the body of evidence they say suggests the two brothers were motivated by an anti-American, radical version of Islam.
Tsarnaev's 19-year old brother Dzhokar, was charged Monday with carrying out the bombing with his older brother, who died in a shootout with police. He could get the death penalty. His throat injured by a gunshot wound, Tsarnaev wrote down answers to the questions of investigators about his motives and connections to any terror networks. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's answers leads authorities to believe he and his brother were motivated by a radical brand of Islam without major terror connections, sources told ABC News.
Meanwhile, Boston has started decontamination of the bombing scene on Boylston Street, and police have started returning possessions abandoned when the explosions went off last Monday.
David Henneberry calls himself an "incidental hero." The Watertown man, who found Boston Marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in a boat in his backyard ending a week of terror for the region, Exclusively told WCVB-TV in Boston that his one hope is to bring closure to the families of those killed and those who were wounded.
Henneberry's first-person account of his discovery of Tsarnaev, 19, differs from that told by law enforcement the night of the arrest, it was a discovery driven by his obsession with, of all things, the shrinkwrap on the boat he calls his "baby," the "Slip Away II".
Like all Watertown residents, Henneberry stayed in his Franklin Street home as the hunt for Tsarnaev paralyzed much of eastern Massachusetts on Friday. When he looked out the window at his boat at one point during the day, he noticed something was amiss. CLICK HERE to read the exclusive interview from WCVB
Also Tuesday, family, friends and colleagues gathered to pay their final respects to Sean Collier, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer who authorities say was ambushed and killed by the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.
And a private funeral was held for 8-year-old Martin Richard, the youngest of the three people killed in the bombing. In a statement, the boy's family called it "the most difficult week of our lives."
Boston University held a memorial service for graduate student Lu Lingzi Monday night, and family and friends gathered to bid a final farewell to 29-year-old restaurant manager Krystle Campbell.
Authorities say older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev's role in radicalizing Dzhokhar is significant, and that the pair learned to make their bombs entirely online.
Dzhokhar is now charged with using a weapon of mass destruction, a crime that, if convicted, could carry the death penalty.
A team from the U.S. embassy in Moscow is in Dagestan Tuesday to interview the parents of the two brothers, ABC News has learned.
But the mother said Tuesday her sons were only guilty of being Muslim.
Meanwhile, two sisters of the suspects issued their first public statement on the case Tuesday.
Students and faculty at Umass Dartmouth, where Dzhokhar was a student, gathered for a vigil Monday night to remember the victims of the bombings.
President Obama marked his own moment of silence for the victims of the bombings. The White House house released a photo of the president Monday afternoon.
Many people paused at 2:50 p.m., the time the first bomb exploded a week prior. Runners from around the country also gathered in Central Park to run for Boston in a group called Boston Strong.
The grassroots event was a show of support for the victims of the attacks, their families and the thousands of runners who ran in the marathon.
PHOTOS:
Friday manhunt and lockdown in Boston
Thermal imaging shows suspect in boat
Surveillance photos of the bomb suspects
Pictures from the Boston Marathon bombings (The Associated Press contributed to this report)
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