In the news today

[Ryllharu]

They are Chechens. HUGE difference. Apparently one too subtle for you to understand (though it shouldn't be). The Chechen Separatists weren't even Islamic radicals until the late 2000s, they were just nationalists.

The American Chechen refugee population despises these two. The Russians and Chechens hate these two. The general response from the average Russian interviewed as a result of this story considers them just some pathetic loser wackjobs who were lashing out because their life wasn't going their way. The two were from a different part of Russia (now Kyrgyzstan), one of them (the younger) never even visited Chechnya, and the other (the older) was quite vocal about his dissatisfaction at not making any friends in the US. That last part is far more in line with the regular pattern of domestic terrorism.

So yes, the Islamist Radicalist angle is a bit overzealous at this point, and is a bit bigoted. The brothers probably sought a connection with that as an excuse, rather than as their driving cause.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Chechen Separatist Movement hates these two, because they have brought the Russian Government's attention back on them.

[Kraco]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Chechen Separatist Movement hates these two, because they have brought the Russian Government's attention back on them.

Not only that, but it might make the world pay even less attention to the Chechnya situation, if a portion of people start to think Chechens deserve whatever Russia throws their way.

[Animeniax]

They are Chechens. HUGE difference. Apparently one too subtle for you to understand (though it shouldn't be). The Chechen Separatists weren't even Islamic radicals until the late 2000s, they were just nationalists.

The American Chechen refugee population despises these two. The Russians and Chechens hate these two. The general response from the average Russian interviewed as a result of this story considers them just some pathetic loser wackjobs who were lashing out because their life wasn't going their way. The two were from a different part of Russia (now Kyrgyzstan), one of them (the younger) never even visited Chechnya, and the other (the older) was quite vocal about his dissatisfaction at not making any friends in the US. That last part is far more in line with the regular pattern of domestic terrorism.

So yes, the Islamist Radicalist angle is a bit overzealous at this point, and is a bit bigoted. The brothers probably sought a connection with that as an excuse, rather than as their driving cause.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Chechen Separatist Movement hates these two, because they have brought the Russian Government's attention back on them.

Calm down Beavis. Chechnya is a part of Russia, and most media accounts I've read about the situation don't differentiate between the two, which illustrates that people don't care that there's a difference. It comes back to an "us vs them" scenario, nevermind that domestic terrorism is almost as common as foreign terrorism in the US.

If CNN is to be believed (questionable at best, admittedly) there is a definite connection between the brothers' actions and Chechen Muslim radicalism: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/20/us/bro...age/index.html

Here's more information from HuffPo demonstrating a strong link between the brothers and their Islamic faith:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_3116299.html

You make a lot of assumptions about their motivations, which I think is premature (and totally you). The older brother didn't have a lot of American friends because he couldn't understand them and their way of life/thinking. He wasn't just some loser/loner, he simply had a very different mindset/worldview that made it hard to associate with others who don't share those views.

"There are no values anymore," he observed, and "people can't control themselves."
Regarding friendships, Tamerlan, who had lived in the U.S. for five years, said, "I don't have a single American friend. I don't understand them."

Not only that, but it might make the world pay even less attention to the Chechnya situation, if a portion of people start to think Chechens deserve whatever Russia throws their way.

Maybe, but according to that report, authorities are looking at a connection between the Boston bombers and this Islamist terrorist group:

Imarat Kavkaz, which has its roots in the 1990s Chechen insurgency... was founded in 2007 to bring together various jihadist groups fighting to create an Islamic state in the region. The leader of Imarat Kavkaz is Doku Umarov, a veteran Chechen guerrilla who claimed responsibility for the the 2011 bombing of Moscow's international airport.

If that attack happened as recently as 2011, then I doubt they care how the world sees them or feels sympathy for their cause, they simply want to strike out at their enemies. Very similar to how other terrorist orgs conduct themselves.

[Kraco]

Maybe, but according to that report, authorities are looking at a connection between the Boston bombers and this Islamist terrorist group:
If that attack happened as recently as 2011, then I doubt they care how the world sees them or feels sympathy for their cause, they simply want to strike out at their enemies. Very similar to how other terrorist orgs conduct themselves.

I wasn't really talking about islamic terrorist groups. They want nothing but suffering on both sides: Suffiring on the enemy side makes the enemy lose morale, and suffering on their own side generates disillusioned young men ready to be used as fodder in their operations. However, at least in the past there were still opposition in Chechnya who weren't fundamentalists but rather nationalists. But maybe they are a dying breed and are replaced by hardcore islamists.

[Animeniax]

I wasn't really talking about islamic terrorist groups. They want nothing but suffering on both sides: Suffiring on the enemy side makes the enemy lose morale, and suffering on their own side generates disillusioned young men ready to be used as fodder in their operations. However, at least in the past there were still opposition in Chechnya who weren't fundamentalists but rather nationalists. But maybe they are a dying breed and are replaced by hardcore islamists.

From what I've read the Muslims are the driving force behind Chechen nationalism, so it's religious rule similar to other Islamic nations. I wouldn't say it's the same as places like North Ireland or even Taiwan, where nationalism is its own driving force in the separatist movements.