EXCLUSIVE: 'Our hearts are sickened by the horror he inflicted': Shocked family of All-American girl who converted to Islam to marry Boston bomber say tragedy proves 'we never really knew him'



Slain Chechen terror suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was married to middle class college student Katherine Russell, 24.



The couple have a three-year-old daughter called Zahara

Tamerlan spent every weekend with Katherine's family at their suburban Rhode Island home

Bomber's aunt says: ' He has a wife in Boston and from a Christian family, so you can't tie it to religion...he found his love, he married, he had a daughter, and he was very happy about his daughter.'

Katherine arrives back at family home at 5pm, flanked by Homeland Security.



The devastated family of the wife of Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev say 'our hearts are sickened' by the terror and tragedy the young Chechen unleashed on America.



Tsarnaev has a three-year-old daughter called Zahara with Katherine Russell, 24, who converted to Islam for her husband, MailOnline can reveal.

And tonight, Katherine's parents, Judith and Warren issued an emotional statement following the terror attack that left three dead and 176 injured, saying: 'Our daughter has lost her husband today, the father of her child.

'We cannot begin to comprehend how this horrible tragedy occurred. In the aftermath of the Patriot's Day horror, we know that we never really knew Tamerlane Tsarnaev



'Our hearts are sickened by the knowledge of the horror he has inflicted.'

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Hidden: A brunette, thought to be Katherine Russell, the wife of Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, shields her face.

Hidden: A brunette, thought to be Katherine Russell, the wife of Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev, shields her face.

The statement was read by Mrs Russell and when asked how her daughter was getting on, she shook her head and said: 'There's nothing for me to say'.



The 26-year-old Chechen – who was shot dead by cops last night – was regularly seen at his wife's family home in Rhode Island.



And neighbours today spoke of their shock at waking up to see Katherine's home being raided by the FBI and cops before dawn this morning.

At 5pm today, Katherine was driven back to the house by a relative and flanked by two SUVs being driven by agents from the Department of Homeland Security.

Shielding her face, the young mother, wearing a dark-coloured top and sporting mousy blonde hair, was driven into the garage.

One of the Homeland security cars remained parked by the house. And asked if Katherine had been questioned, the agents refused to comment, but confirmed: 'We are keeping an eye on the house.'

Taking in the news: A man, presumably Warren Russell, father of Katherine Russell, smiles at the media as he grabs his newspaper at the end of the driveway in North Kingstown, Rhode Island on Saturday, April 20, 2013

Tragic: The family of Katherine Russell talk of their grief on Friday

Middle class family: Katherine Russell's mother Judith, above, on the left, is a nurse, and read out the family's statement this evening, while her sister Anna, is at college.

A man, believed to be Katherine's father, Warren Russell, said: 'We have no comment at this time.'

While a brunette, thought to be one of Katherine's two younger sisters, was earlier comforted by a friend, saying: 'No comment.'

One neighbour told how Katherine - who also uses the last name Tsarnaeva - converted to Islam shortly after starting school at Suffolk University in Boston, saying she believed the couple were married.

Speaking from the quiet suburb, the neighbour said: ‘I knew Katherine was married and she had converted to Islam.

‘She went away to college about three or four years ago and I saw her a year later and she was dressed in the Islamic style. Her hair was covered and she was wearing very baggy, flowy clothing.’

The neighbour said: ‘I saw Katherine with a man and I assumed this was her partner. They came up most weekends and had Massachusetts licence plates on their car, so I thought they lived in Boston and came home at the weekends to see her family.

‘They were always together and had a little girl, who must be about three now.’

Home with Homeland Security: Katherine Russell arrived home tonight flanked by Homeland agents.



Greeting a friend: A woman believed to be a sister of Katherine Russell, the wife of Boston Bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev greets a friend outside the family's Rhode Island on Friday

Relative: A woman, believed to be a sister of Katherine Russell, arrives at the Russell family home on Friday afternoon

However, the neighbour said the last time she saw the man, matching the pictures of Tsarnaev, was a year ago, adding: ‘She moved back home and was living at home with the baby.'

Tamerlan got his American citizenship on September 11, 2012. He traveled to Russia last year and returned to the U.S. six months later, government officials told The Associated Press today.



‘I never saw him again, I thought maybe he’s gone away or he’s busy with school,' said the neighbour.



It was, the neighbour, admitted, nevertheless a shock when she woke early to see police cars and FBI agents outside the family’s house.

She said: ‘They were there when I woke up early, there was one state patrol car and someone who came out wearing a padded vest with FBI on it.

‘With all the activity, I put it together, but I thought this can’t be.

‘But then I thought ‘well she did make this conversion…I thought Katherine may be friends with one of the brothers, I never thought it was her husband.’





Bomber: Tamerlan Tsarnaev arrives at the Wai Kru Mixed Martial Arts center in April 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Terror in suburbia: Bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev spent every weekend and his wife Katherine Russell's family home in Rhode Island. She converted to Islam for their marriage.

According to the website spotcrime.com, Tamerlan was arrested for domestic violence in July 2009 after assaulting his girlfriend.

Katherine, who has two younger sisters Anna and Becca, grew up with parents Judith and Warren in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, before moving to Boston for college.

Local reporter Ted Nesi of WPRI-TV 12 this afternoon tweeted: 'Suffolk U. confirms to me that a Katherine O. Russell of No. Kingstown RI was a student there from Fall 2007-Spring 2010. Did not graduate.'

Neighbours said that Warren works as a physician, while Judith is a nurse.

Paula Gillette, 59, a mother-of-one who lives over the road from the Russells, said: 'Before Katherine went to Suffolk she wore normal clothes like jeans, t-shirts and skirts but when she came back she was wearing a white headscarf.

'I don't think her family are religious.

'I have no idea what she is going to tell her kid. How can you tell them? How can you explain it?

'Who knows if she knew anything about what he was doing? We just don't know'.



Tamerlan, the older brother of 19-year-old Dzhokhar, who is currently the target of a massive all-out manhunt in Boston at its suburbs, was shot dead Thursday evening in an armed confrontation at MIT.



Meanwhile, the brothers' aunt Maret Tsarnaeva was insistent as she told reporters in Toronto today that her nephew was in love with his wife and daughter.

'He has a wife in Boston and from a Christian family, so you can't tie it to religion,' she said: 'At that age all they want is love, so he found his love, he married, he had a daughter, and he was very happy about his daughter.'

However, she admitted Tamerlan 'seemingly did not find himself yet in America, because it's not easy.'

Demanding proof the brothers were the bombers, Maret said: 'We're talking about three dead people, 100-something injured, and I do not believe, I just do not believe our boys would do that ... I don't know them in the way that they could be capable of this.'

She said her brother Anzor Tsarnaev had high expecations for his sons, especially Tamerlan, and was upset when he found out Tamerlan had dropped out of university.

Tamerlan wasn't a devout practicing Muslim,' but just recently, maybe two years ago, he started praying five times a day," she said.

Tsarnaeva said her brother's family came to the United States in 2002 after she helped them apply for refugee status. She said the family also has two sisters who live in Boston.



The older of the two Chechen brothers accused in the Boston marathon bombings once dreamed of representing the US as a boxer, but over the past year, he had turned to radical Islam and got on the path of Jihad.

Officials say Tamerlan and his younger brother, Dzhokhar - refugees from the Caucasus region - were the men behind the horrific terrorist attack that took the lives of three and left 176 injured during the Boston Marathon on Monday.

Hours before his death, Tamerlan called his uncle and asked for forgiveness - revealing the news of his young family.

Alvi Tsarnaev told The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News that his nephew phoned him Thursday night for the first time in about two years.

Brothers: Boston bombers Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, left, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar is still on the run.

VIDEO Footage from police raid and Dzhokar Tsamaev's arrest

The call came at 7 p.m., just a couple of hours before Tamerlan was shot dead.

"He said, 'I love you and forgive me,' " said Alvi Tsarnaev, who lives in Montgomery Village, Md.

"We were not talking for a long time because there were some problems," he said, without elaborating. "We were not happy with each other."



They spoke for about five minutes, he said. Tamerlan, who is Muslim, started out by saying, "Salam Aleikum," an Arabic greeting meaning "peace on you." He then praised his uncle for keeping up with his Muslim prayers.

They talked about family and Alvi said: "I told him I was praying to Allah, not drinking, not smoking, and he told me he was happy," he said. "He was asking, 'Did you pay your mortgage?' I told him I was trying to pay. I asked him what he was doing. He said, 'I fix cars, I got married, got a baby.

Tamerlan was an avid boxer and spent a lot of time training for competitions, according to Johannes Hirn, who posted a photo essay entitled ‘Will Box for Passport’ on his page on Photoshelter.com.

Representing New England in 2010 National Golden Gloves competition in Utah, Tamerlan Tsarnaev dreamed of being ‘selected for the US Olympic team and be [a] naturalized American.’

‘Unless his native Chechnya becomes independent, Tamerlan says he would rather compete for the United States than for Russia,’ reads the caption to one of the pictures that shows Tamerlan during his workout.