Key Points

Police in Massachusetts are hunting for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, who they say was the second suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon bombing.

His brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, also a suspect, was killed in a shootout with police near Watertown, outside Boston, on Thursday night.

The search began after the fatal shooting of a police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.

The Boston area is locked down after the governor of Massachusetts ordered a halt to transport and urged people to stay indoors.

All times BST.






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1719: Tsarnaev described himself as a "very religious" Muslim and said he no longer drank alcohol or smoked. He said he did not have a single American friend, because he did not understand them.


1715: Tamerlan Tsarnaev told Hirn he would represent New England in an amateur boxing competition in Utah, fighting as a heavyweight, and hoped one day to box on the US Olympic team.


1709: Photographer Johannes Hirn spent time in a boxing gym with Tamerlan Tsarnaev and produced this photo essay entitled Will Box For Passport.

1638: Mr Tsarni tells reporters he loves America and says he wants to meet the victims of the bombings.


1635: We are waiting for an update from the governor and the mayor, who are receiving a briefing from police.


1634: Uncle Ruslan Tsarni says the two brothers immigrated to the US and received asylum. He says his family has had "nothing to do with them" for a long time.


1634: Sudhir Sivakumaran, Boston Emails: Never seen Massachusetts avenue so deserted since I came here. Never seen so many police activity in my life for sure. Stuck at home, waiting for the all clear sign to go out.


1633: In Maryland, their uncle Ruslan Tsarni says: "They have brought shame" to the family. He calls on his nephew to turn himself in and to ask for forgiveness.


1631: More and more details are coming in about the two brothers suspected of the Boston bombing. The BBC's Daniel Sandford reports they are ethnic Chechens from the troubled Southern Caucasus region of Russia. Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev moved to the US in 2001, though their father has now returned to Dagestan, a republic bordering Chechnya. He said today that he believed his sons have been framed.


1630: The suspects' uncle Ruslan Tsarni is speaking in Maryland. "We're Muslims, we're ethnic Chechens... somebody radicalised them." He says he has not seen the two in several years.


1628: The young men's father Anzor Tsarnaev has told the BBC his younger son Dzhokhar hoped to become a brain surgeon, and that he believed the secret services had framed his sons.

1616:

Police are carrying out a major operation in and around Watertown, six miles (9km) from Boston, after police officer Sean Collier was shot dead late on Thursday at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) campus in nearby Cambridge. Look at the BBC's picture of gallery of the events that followed.


1615: The University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth has not said what Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was studying nor whether he had lived on campus.
Student Brie McCarron told the Associated Press that police have descended on campus and that students who know Tsarnaev say he lives in a dormitory.


1614: Rob Ledniczky tweets: British student currently locked in at Harvard, pretty surreal experience, Cambridge is completely dead


1613: Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian tweets: Officer to reporters: "Guys if you knew what was happening you wouldn't be standing there right now."


1612:

Pictures are coming to us live from Boston, as police move across the city in search of 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.


1611: Mike Cerra, Boston tweets: Cars are being searched if they are driving in the area. No traffic in or out #Watertown at this time.


1609: BBC Monitoring reports that a man named Anzor, who said he was Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's father, told Russia's Interfax news agency his children were framed.
"The special services framed my children because they are believing Muslims," he was quoted as saying. "Why did they kill Tamerlan? They should have taken him alive. The younger one is now on the run; he was studying in his second year at a medical institute in the US. We were expecting him home in the holidays. Now I don't know what will happen."


1609: Watertown residents have sent the BBC photos of the scene outside of their windows.


1552: The television feed from the scene in Watertown, Massachusetts shows heavily armed police with rifles drawn.


1551: BBC has produced a map and timeline of the events of the past 12 hours.



1540: Boston's Logan Airport tweets "flights are arriving and departing. Taxis are available, but in very high demand".


1536: Boston Police Department tweets: #MediaAlert: WARNING: Do Not Compromise Officer Safety by Broadcasting Tactical Positions of Homes Being Searched.


1535: Independent Moscow radio station Ekho Moskvy has a statement from Alvi Karimov, press secretary for the leader of the Chechen Republic.
He told Interfax "the suspects in the Boston crimes have no relation to Chechnya". He says "according to preliminary information" the family moved "many years ago from Chechnya to another region of Russia".
"Then for a long time they lived in Kazakhstan, and from there moved to the US, where family members obtained residency," Mr Karimov said. "So the persons concerned did not live in Chechnya as adults, and if they became 'bad apples' then it's a question of who was educating them."


1534: Connecticut state police, meanwhile, have updated their alert to say the vehicle they were looking for has been recovered in Boston.


1533: Update: The University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth evacuated its campus.


1532: Terry, Boston emails: Cops are everywhere. I've never seen anything like this in my life


1531: Information is emerging about the lives of brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who are suspected of carrying out the bombing at the Boston Marathon. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died in a shootout with police on Thursday night. His 19-year-old brother, Dzhokhar, is still on the run in Boston. Read our latest profile of them here.


1528: An area university, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, closes after reporting one of the suspects was a registered student there.


1527: Lauren S tweets: This is so scary right now. I can't believe the place where I live is in so much danger.


1526: The New York Times has created a map of the events of the past 12 hours.


1514: Andrew Harteveldt emails: The quietest this city has been on a Friday morning. We are all locked down inside our house.


1510: BBC's Debbie Randle

tweets: "Eerie streets here in Waterfront Boston Manhunt still underway"


1505: BBC's Simon Wilson tweets: Heading for #Boston. Security at Washington Reagan airport significantly stepped up this morning.


1456: Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, who lived at the same address as the suspect on Norfolk Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts and is likely to be the boys' mother, was arrested for shoplifting last year, BBC Moscow reports.


1455: A profile of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Russian social network VKontakte suggests he has been a student at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and had previously attended school in Makhachkala, in the Russian Republic of Dagestan, between 1999-2001. It suggests he is a Muslim believer and reads: "The main thing in life - status and gold". The latest update on the page is from 19 March 2012.


1453: Local media identify the MIT police officer killed last night as Sean Collier, 26.


1452: Robin Young, host of PRI public radio programme Here and Now, tweets: "Heart is broken. just confirmed, I know dzhokhar tsarnave, one of best friends of my beloved nephew,who says he never in his life saw this."


1451: BBC Monitoring report a post to a jihadist forum argues against speculating on the identities of the suspects, but notes the bombing reveals the "prominent weak point" of Western countries.
"The purpose is what results from this operation and its repetition, such as instilling terror, costing America more financial burden, and economic repercussions which will weaken and eventually kill it."


1449: David Knies tweets: Camb bomb squad truck w/ state police convoy going S on 93 near S Bay Ctr. @stoolpresidente


1448: Michael W. emails: Living just about 1/2 a mile from the main search area and under instructions to not leave the house. It's very eerie outside. Not a car in the road except for a cavalcade of police going by once in a while.


1448: Watertown Council President Mark Siderais tells BBC News residents should remain inside and stay safe. He describes Watertown as a four-sq-mile town with approximately 33,000 residents.
Travis Wesley tweets: All MBTA Trains are shutdown at this time. All subway lines and commuter rail are suspended. #Boston #MIT #Watertown


1445: Police in the neighbouring state of Connecticut have put out a alert for a vehicle that could "possibly be occupied by a wanted suspect".


1445: Mr Bayley also tells the BBC he has been told to stay in his house as the police search door to door.
"It's just been an horrific few hours. I'm heavily involved in running too, so the whole last week has been horrific."


1443: Tim Bayley, who is originally from Brighton, UK, and who lives in Watertown tells the BBC "he woke up to gunfire".
"There must have been about 150 gunshots - at 0200 local time and then I heard multiple explosions, from what must have been grenades.
"That was followed by police cars flying down my street - there must have been about 20 cars in succession. I couldn't believe how many police there were."


1440: Local radio reporter Alex Ashlock, on Arsenal Street, east Watertown, tells BBC News there is still a "massive" police presence in the sealed-off 20-block area.
Local reporter Janet Wu tweets: "Small detonation at Cambridge address after stretchers, ambulances & 3 fire trucks arrive. Crews calm but suited up"


1430: Chechen internet users have expressed strong reaction to the news from Boston, BBC Monitoring reports. Some say that the US authorities are seeking to blame Chechens for the blasts, while others are expressing concern over possible adverse impacts on Chechens in Europe.


1429: More from the interview with suspects' uncle: Both had been in the US 10 years and had grown up in Kyrgyzstan.
Boston Globe reporter David Abel tweets: "Just spoke to two Transit police officers who told me that their colleague who was shot is "going to live" and is "a good, brave dude".
New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor tweets: High school classmates & acquaintances of Johar Tsarnaev sound shocked. He was a sweetie, a delight, a wrestling star who won awards.


1419: As the manhunt continues, the FBI has released a new photo of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.



1417: And an interview with the suspects' uncle has run on CNN. He says he had not spoken to the young men for two years, but the older nephew - Tamerlan Tsarnaev - called yesterday.


1414: In Russia, a man described by the Associated Press as the father of the Boston bombing suspects says his son Dzhokar is an accomplished medical student and "a true angel". Anzor Tsarnaev spoke from Makhachkala, Russia, AP reports.


1409: Back in Watertown, police are pushing back from at least one location near the house surrounded by armed troopers.


1359: BBC Moscow says it does not have any concrete information about Tamerlan Tsarnaev - reported to be the dead suspect. However, interviews he gave in the US in the past suggest that the family left Chechnya in the early 1990s.


1358: The BBC Moscow bureau reports that Dzhokhar Tzarnaev moved to the US in 2001 or 2002 from Makhachkala - the capital of Dagestan, a southern Caucasus Republic near to Chechnya. His school there says he was only a student for a couple of years, and had arrived from Kyrgyzstan.


1355: Details continue to come in about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev - who is still on the loose. He received a City Scholarship from the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts, in May 2011 - according to a Cambridge local government announcement.
Jenny Moebius tweets: so eerie how empty the streets are during rush hour...


1350: "Chris said that when Jeff woke up from anaesthesia after surgery he asked for a pen and paper and wrote down that he had seen the guy and that they showed the note to the FBI and that he was able to give a description of the man. He was waiting for his girlfriend and he saw this man set this bag down and he looked him right in the eyes and two and a half minutes later the bag exploded." Read the full interview at Bloomberg.com.


1349: Bloomberg News reporter Asjylyn Loder has told BBC World Service radio that she spoke to Chris Bauman, the bother of Jeff Bauman - who identified one of the suspects after having both his legs amputated below the knee after Monday's bomb attack.
Jessy Rae tweets: For the simple fact that I've been surrounded by guns since 2AM is pretty surreal to me.


1346: Latest images from Watertown are currently showing police surrounding a house, at the corner of Willow and Quimby. The situation appears tense and video broadcasts from the scene are being put on a delay in an effort to avoid broadcasting anything "unduly violent", CNN says.


1338: The Associated Press and other US media are reporting that the uncle of the bombing suspect has confirmed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and the dead suspect were indeed brothers.
Daniel Sandford BBC News, Moscow tweets that it looks likely the two suspects left the Russian Federation a long time ago - possibly as long ago as 2001. He also plays down the links to Chechnya: "Ahem! If you are a Chechen from Kyrgyzstan, lived briefly in Dagestan, then lived in America for 10 yrs+. The connection to Chechnya is slim".
Boston Police


tweet: #WANTED: Suspect identified as 19 year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev of Cambridge. Suspect considered armed & dangerous. pic.twitter.com/jFdHLGsrGc


1330:


Boston Regional Intelligence Centre has released this poster of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect.


1329: Chechnya itself is a region of Russia with a long history of conflict and dispute with Moscow. It was the scene of a brutal separatist war with Russia in the 1990s and has been hit by insurgency in the years since. You can find out more in our full profile.


1325: The suspect at large, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is 19, was born in Kyrgyzstan and has a Massachusetts driver's license, officials told NBC News. The dead suspect was identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, born in Russia, NBC added.


1317: The two brothers are thought to be ethnic Chechens, but are not said to have lived in the area in recent years.


1314: Information is beginning to emerge about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the remaining suspect in the Boston marathon bombings. He and his brother are said to be from an area of Russia close to war-torn Chechnya - but have lived in the US for at least a year.


1304: And with that, the press conference is over - with no public confirmation of the identity of the bombers.


1303: Police colonel says the situation in Boston "may take hours" to resolve, but they are getting closer.


1302: Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis says they are "examining all databases, examining all possible leads".


1300: Gov Patrick says there is a "massive manhunt underway".


1300: Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts: suspect one is dead and suspect two is on the run.


1256: Police are still hunting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, aged 19, from the Cambridge area of Boston.


1255:BREAKING NEWS Surviving Boston bombing suspect named by US officials as Dzokhar Tsarnaev.


1254: Reuters news agency now joins several other US media outlets in reporting that the two Boston suspects are Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Reuters cites a national security official. We still await official confirmation.


1249: We are waiting to hear from Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts - it's possible that he could confirm the identities of the two Boston bombing suspects.


ABC News tweets: #Breaking: Major police activity reported near home of suspect #2 in Cambridge, Mass., police advice to stay clear


Johnathan Law emails: I just drove down the Massachusetts Pike to Boston and saw a plethora of school buses, filled with Swat teams, heading in the other direction to Watertown.
Anne Griffiths emailed: Just spoken to my daughter who lives in Watertown. Police doing door-to-door, nobody allowed out, tubes shut down and roads closed. She says it was three blocks away, I think she means the carjacking. Really scary.


1238: One Boston family told the BBC how they received a "reverse-911" call telling them not to leave their homes. The call went on to say that if any stranger comes to their door, to be on guard and call 911 if appropriate. The family's first reaction was of "terror" and they promptly got dressed, ensured all of their doors were locked, and closed blinds and shades. "It's like a ghost town outside," they said.


1231:

Another image from Watertown: police are advising residents to take shelter amid ongoing investigations in Watertown and the surrounding areas.


1218: An area of 20 blocks has been cordoned off around Watertown, while tactical teams search every house. Other suburbs and public transport has been locked down as police continue the manhunt.


1218: Issuing strong warnings to the public to take precautions and stay off the streets, Boston police confirmed one suspect was captured and died in hospital.


1217: Two suspects who had stolen a four-wheel drive vehicle threw bombs and traded gunfire with police chasing them, and another officer was wounded in the exchange.


1215: Police began the manhunt on Thursday night after an officer was shot dead at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge.


1215: Just to recap what is happening. US police have been hunting a suspect wanted for Monday's deadly Boston Marathon bombing, after another suspect was killed in a car chase and shootout overnight.
Student Taylor Dobbs tweets: Roommate emerges from slumber, staring at phone: "Dude, did you hear what happened?"


1211: The Boston Police Department is preparing to carry out a controlled explosion.
Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, tweets: If these two are actually foreign-trained terrorists, then this is the event we've been fearing; small-scale attacks on the softest targets.
Ryan Evans tweets: A reminder: terrorism is about small numbers of people seeking to cause a large amount of havoc. We're seeing that right now.


1204: There is now a lot of speculation over the identity of the Boston marathon bomb suspects - the second of whom police are hunting in and around Watertown. We will let you know as soon as we get any confirmation of their identities.
Stephen R. Aldous tweets: @Boston_Police Stay safe officers, we appreciate all your hard work.


1154: US network NBC News is now reporting that the two suspects are brothers - and has released their names, which have not yet been confirmed by police.


1148: News agency Associated Press is reporting that the Boston bomb suspects are from a Russian region near Chechnya, and have lived in the US for at least one year. That information is as yet unconfirmed.


1146:


Pictures of heavily armed Swat teams continue to come in as police carry out a methodical search of homes in Watertown.
makeitnatty tweets: I woke to police sirens. Know what else? Friends & family checking if I was safe. I have faith in my city. We are resilient.


1141: On the BBC World Service, we are live with the latest on the hunt for the Boston marathon bomb suspects. Tune into World Have Your Say here.


1140: Footage from Watertown shows Swat teams surrounding houses - but it appears to be part of the general house-to-house search of the area.


1130: Right now we are seeing pictures of a lot of police activity. Radio Boston reporter Curt Nickisch tells BBC News police vehicles are heading out to one part of Boston after a taxi carrying three men was reportedly stopped outside the 20-block search area.
Eyewitness Andrew Kitzenberg - who earlier tweeted images of bullet damage in his home - has posted a picture of what he says are Swat teams heading into a nearby house.
Boston Police Department tweets: #CommunityAlert: Search for armed suspect continues in Watertown. Residents reminded to remain indoors. All vehicle traffic suspended.
Mark Mardell North America editor tweets from Watertown: Suddenly lots of activity - police van speeds out sirens wailing - other cars heading in


1121: It is reported that 10 Boston victims have had limbs amputated. Bombs made from pressure cookers were said to have been packed with nails and ball bearings.


1118: It may be time to take a step back and recap what happened on Monday. Three people died and more than 170 were hurt by two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. At least 14 bombing victims, including three children, remain in hospital in a critical condition.
Seth Mnookin adds more from Watertown: I lived a mile from WTC on 9/11. Lived below 14th St. - needed ID to get to apartment. Checkpoints everywhere. Watertown right now is similar. Cops/blue lights everywhere. Automatic weapons & bomb dogs on sidewalks. Entire city brought to halt.
MIT teacher and journalist Seth Mnookin has been tweeting from Watertown throughout the night. He reports that a naked man arrested earlier was eventually released. "Apparently wrong place/time scenario."


1109: Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau said there should be no vehicle traffic into or out of Watertown. "We need your help now," he said, addressing residents.


1105:

Homeland Security official Kurt Schwartz urged the people of the Watertown, Newton, Waltham, Belton Cambridge and Alston-Brighton neighbourhoods of Boston to stay home, and told businesses not to open today until they are given further guidance.


1103: More closures: now Harvard University, near MIT in Cambridge, is also closed. Harvard.edu/emergency
Greg McKenna, Cambridge, MA emails: This all happened less than a quarter of a mile from me. It sounded like warfare with explosions and bullets. My heart was racing.


1055: Closing the briefing, Col Timothy Alben, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, said: "We believe these are the same individuals that were responsible for the bombing on Monday of the Boston marathon. We believe they are responsible for the death of an MIT police officer and the shooting of an MBTA officer. This is a very serious situation that we're dealing with and we would appreciate your co-operation."


1053: Watertown now is basically a community on lock-down - businesses remain closed and all public transport is shut. Authorities are also warning other communities in the area to stay inside.


1049: Undersecretary for Homeland Security Kurt Schwartz asks people in Watertown and surrounding suburbs not go to work today.


1048: We are hearing from Boston police as they hold another press conference: detailing transport and security measures as day breaks in Watertown and Boston.


1046: Confirmation of transport suspension from MBTA.com: "Attention Customers: per order of the MBTA Transit police all service is suspended until further notice. 4/19/2013 5:39 AM"


1043: More news of suspensions and cancellations: The MBTA, which runs transport services in and around Greater Boston, has suspended all services at the request of police.
Massachusetts Institue of Technology tweets: MIT's classes cancelled today in wake of tragedy [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
1038: One Watertown witness described events in the town overnight: "It sounded like fireworks," Imran Saif told the Boston Globe on YouTube.


1036: The information from the hospital strongly indicates that the man who died at Beth Israel overnight was the Boston bomb suspect who police say has now been killed.


1029: "All we know is he arrived in [cardiac] arrest here - we don't know what happened at the scene," Dr Richard Wolfe tells the conference.


1028: Doctors say they cannot comment on whether the patient was one of the suspects. They say they "do not have any information about the deceased person".


1027: Medics: Hospital was notified at 01:10 local time that a patient was coming in with multiple injuries. He arrived at 01:20 - at that point he was in a "traumatic arrest" undergoing CPR. At 1:35 he was pronounced dead.


1022: Officials at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston are now giving a news conference, detailing their role in the night's events.


1020: One Watertown resident, Kristian Tunzig, tells BBC News he heard successive gunshots close to his house earlier and then saw a black Mercedes sedan crash in front of the house. There was a 10 to 15 minute gunbattle and several explosion - before a huge explosion. He says he hid in a closet and came out later to discover a bullet lodged in his bed.


1011: It is probably worth noting that the area police are now searching is centred around Laurel Street and Dexter Avenue, in Watertown.


1006:

As police warn of potentially dangerous packages, Twitter user @jraske is posting images of a police bomb disposal robot closing on a car in Watertown.


1005: Police are now warning people in the area to be aware of potentially explosive packages by the road, CNN reports.


1004: Police are now searching house-to-house for the second suspect. Massachusetts State Police say via Twitter: "Police will be going door by door, street by street, in and around Watertown. Police will be clearly identified. It is a fluid situation."


0957:

Here is the latest picture released by Boston police of the second suspect - the focus of the current manhunt.
Stephen Kowalik tweets: Boston is going crazy right now. After attempted bombing at MIT police have been chasing bombers since 1. Live police radio is scary.
Mark Mardell North America editor


Tweets from Watertown: Just spoken to one guy who says he saw suspect on the ground surrounded by about 8 police. [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]


0943: Police say this is an ongoing investigation and reiterate that it is a very dangerous situation and a threat to people's lives.


0940:

The FBI released photos of two suspects from Monday's Boston Marathon bombings - one was the "man with the white cap", who police say is still at large after being involved in the latest shootout.
Edward Davis Boston Police Commissioner tweets: One suspect dead. One at large. Armed and dangerous. White hat suspect at large.


0931: Full statement from Massachusetts police on the dramatic night-time events.


0931: More from Massachusetts state police: One suspect was critically injured during the pursuit and taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.


0930: Police say there was an shootout between Watertown Police and two suspects in an SUV, and several explosive devices were thrown from the car at officers.


0928: Police said they are actively searching for the white-capped individual suspected of involvement in the bombing of the Boston Marathon. They said footage from a local 7-Eleven in Cambridge last night showed him dressed in a grey sweatshirt. He has brown curly hair.


0923: Police reiterate that the suspect is armed and dangerous: "We believe this to be a terrorist, a man who has come here to kill people."


BREAKING NEWS Police in Massachusetts hunting man they say is second Boston bombing suspect.


0920: Police are now holding a news conference detailing what happened overnight: "We understand one suspect was able to flee from the police. One police officer was struck and is now at hospital," the police said.


0917: State police are warning residents in the area to stay inside and be careful - using Twitter to advise that people should "not answer door, stay away from windows, keep doors locked".


0913: Later, after witnesses reported hearing explosions and gunfire in Watertown, local TV footage showed a man on the ground surrounded by police - before being led away, apparently naked.


0912: Cambridge police said the officer was responding to a report of a disturbance in the area of the MIT campus at around 22:30 (02:30 GMT) when he was shot and suffered "multiple wounds". He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.


0910: A situation has been developing rapidly in the middle of the night near Boston, with a massive police presence growing over the last few hours in Watertown. It comes after an incident at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in nearby Cambridge, where a police officer was shot several times and killed.



0907: Welcome to our coverage of the major police operation under way on the outskirts of Boston in the US.


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