One of the two terrorists involved in the Boston bombing has been killed

[CapnAwesome]

Why would it be a huge coincidence? Are Muslims somehow incapable of being psychopaths / sociopaths? Who said it was because of their nationality? Why even bring that up?

What could compel "normal" citizens to do something like this? What compelled other domestic terrorists? What compels school shooters? There are plenty of reasons why people commit these acts; hardly any of them have something to do with their religion or their nationality.

Until we know more, we shouldn't wildly speculate.

Well we can say that there are a limited number of motivations for them. Lets go through some of them.

They could be psychopaths. That's where the huge coincidence that I mentioned comes in. Psychopathy is evenly distributed through different populations, thus any truly random crime (like the Connecticut school shooting) would have a random percent chance of being done by a Muslim. Muslims are .8 percent of the US population. Thus the chance of them being Sociopaths just out to hurt people is roughly .8. Actually less because it would require both of them to be that way. It's possible but like I said before, huge coincidence.

I brought up their nationality because Chechen have historically been involved in terrorist attacks against Russia for political reasons. I can't fathom how a political attack on the US would accomplish anything. There has never been a Chechen attack on a western country and it is an extremely unlikely explanation.

Now for why I find the religious explanation most likely. You say they aren't tied to any terrorist organization. There is no requirement for someone to go on a religious rampage or to set of a bomb to be tied to a religious organization. In fact most of the post 9/11 attacks in the US have people who who aren't. You cite his desire to be on the Olympic boxing team as somehow proving his loyalty to America. That only proves his loyalty to boxing. His other choice would be Russia and there is no way a Chechen would represent Russia. The fact they have lived here for an extended length of time also doesn't mean much. Many Islamic attacks on US soil in the last 13 years have been by people who have grown up or lived here extensively. A large percentage of Muslims are loyal to their religion first. Of all the explanations possible, it seems like the most likely. It fits the pattern that we've seen from other Islamic terrorists and doesn't fit very well the pattern that we've seen from psychopaths and politically motivated terrorists.

[A Theist]

So, they aren't middle eastern, and they've been in the USA for 10 years (when both were teenagers). It's not looking like they are affiliated with Islamic extremist groups, or foreign terrorist groups. Does this go down as domestic terrorism?

I haven't seen anything to suggest either was influenced to do this by Islam.

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I've also read that the elder brother was hoping to win a place on the American Olympic boxing team and become a naturalised citizen. Whatever some people assumed about this case, or the suspects, most of it is looking to be completely wrong.

I haven't seen anything to suggest either was influenced to do this by Islam.

...the whole method of the bombing had the earmarks of Islamic terrorism...what do you think? What else could their motive for bombing and killing innocent people have been?...but, I guess we really won't know for sure until the second brother is captured alive following his shoot out with the police...

[Cato]

...the whole method of the bombing had the earmarks of Islamic terrorism...

Yeah, the 1983 Beirut marine barracks bombing and that of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building were so dissimilar.

[Tiberius]

Time will tell whether these people carried their attacks out in the name of Islam or not. I'll repeat again: I don't think it's wise to jump to conclusions, especially when there is no evidence other than "they were Muslims".

@A Theist: No, I don't think the method of bombing had the earmarks of Islamic terrorism. As I said before, the fact that they didn't commit suicide flags it as potentially not religiously motivated. The fact that they didn't release any statement about their actions (admitted to it, etc.) says something as well. Non-Islamic terrorists have used similar bombs as well, in similar places.

[orogenicman]

Wow. The crap that has been going on in Boston this week is just friggin bizarre. Guys and gals. Don't even fuck with Irish cops.

[Tiberius]

FYI, they just caught the other guy (the 19 year old) alive. Apparently he's wounded though.

[Shell B]

Wow. The crap that has been going on in Boston this week is just friggin bizarre. Guys and gals. Don't even fuck with Irish cops.

I knew that already. The only time I fucked around in Boston was at Hempfest and once I went to the Museum of Fine Arts far too shitfaced. Got lucky every time. The thing is, we have a pretty laid back police force, but they are there and our state police are pretty elite, from what I have heard. I think they did everything amazingly well. They are to be applauded in a huge way. No more civilian casualties, both suspects handled and they didn't even have to murder them by setting a cabin on fire. Cheers to the BPD. I'm happy this is over.

[orogenicman]

I agree. I think the police showed amazing courage, patience, and restraint, all things considered.

[Violet]

Because if it smells like a sewer rat, looks like a sewer rat, and squeaks like a sewer rat, it's a safe bet that it's a sewer rat.

You know what I've been saying about human senses for a while now, yes?

Welp: it holds true, it would seem

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I could be a coincidence that he's a Muslim. I doubt it for a couple of reasons. One is simply mathamatical. The percentage of Muslims in the US is very small, thus the chance that a random terrorist act is going to be committed by a Muslim for non-religious reasons is equally small.

Where's this mathematical evidence?

[A Theist]

FYI, they just caught the other guy (the 19 year old) alive. Apparently he's wounded though.

I guess now we'll see whether or not if the two brothers were influenced by Islamic fanaticism...don't know if they were connected to any terror groups though...