---
title: "2013 Boston Marathon Bombing"
year: 2013
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/2013/2013-boston-marathon-bombing"
slug: "2013-boston-marathon-bombing"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "2013-01-01"
---

# 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing

Two explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, killed three people and wounded 264 others. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were identified as the bombers; one died in police confrontation, and the other was captured after a citywide manhunt. The attack raised urgent questions about radicalization, domestic terrorism, and how such violence could occur at a major public event in a major U.S. city.

## Summary

Tamerlan was born in Kazakhstan, and Dzhokhar was born in Kyrgyzstan.

## Key facts

- **Deaths**: 3 (Martin Richard, 8; Krystle Campbell, 23; Lingzi Lu, 29)
- **Injured**: 264
- **Limbs amputated among survivors**: 16
- **Time of explosions**: 2:49 p.m. EDT, April 15, 2013
- **Location of finish line**: Boylston Street, Boston
- **Distance between two bombs**: approximately 210 feet
- **Suspects identified**: Tamerlan Tsarnaev (26) and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (19)
- **Tamerlan's death**: April 19, 2013, from gunshot wounds during police confrontation
- **Dzhokhar's conviction date**: April 8, 2015
- **Dzhokhar's sentence**: Death penalty, June 2015

## Timeline

- **2013-04-15** - Bombings at Boston Marathon finish line
  the second explodes approximately 210 feet away seconds later
- **2013-04-18** - FBI releases suspect images and video
  The FBI releases photographs and surveillance video of two suspects, asking the public for help identifying them. Hours later, the suspects are identified as Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
- **2013-04-19** - Tamerlan killed in police confrontation
  During a shootout, he is shot multiple times; he dies from his injuries at the scene.
- **2013-04-19** - Dzhokhar captured after manhunt
  Following a massive citywide manhunt and shelter-in-place order, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is found hiding in a dry-docked boat in a Watertown backyard. He is arrested after a brief standoff.
- **2014-01-30** - Dzhokhar indicted on 30 counts
  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is indicted on 30 federal charges, including 17 that carry the potential death penalty.
- **2014-04-21** - 2014 Boston Marathon resumes
  The Boston Marathon is held for the first time since the 2013 bombing, with heightened security and significant attendance. Many survivors and victims' family members participate.
- **2015-04-08** - Dzhokhar convicted
  Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is found guilty on all 30 counts, including conspiracy and use of a weapon of mass destruction.
- **2015-06-24** - Dzhokhar sentenced to death
  A federal jury recommends and the judge imposes the death penalty on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. His case enters the appeals process.

## Relationships

- **responded to**: september-11-attacks - The Boston Marathon bombing investigation and response protocols drew directly from post-9/11 counterterrorism frameworks; FBI and DHS applied tools developed after September 2001 to track the Tsarnaev brothers and coordinate the manhunt.
- **caused by**: stockton-darlington-railway - Timeline of "2013 Boston Marathon Bombing" references "First Passenger Railway Opens (Stockton & Darlington)" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
- **caused by**: stalin-death - Timeline of "2013 Boston Marathon Bombing" references "Stalin Dies; Soviet Succession Struggle Begins" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).
- **caused by**: lumiere-cinema-screening - Timeline of "2013 Boston Marathon Bombing" references "Lumière Brothers' First Film Screening" (2 shared tokens incl. title anchor).

## Consequences

- **2013 - Enhanced surveillance protocols at major public events**: U.S. security agencies overhauled monitoring systems at marathons and outdoor gatherings nationwide, implementing real-time video feeds and crowd-scanning technology.
- **2013 - Expansion of FBI domestic terrorism task forces**: The Bureau significantly increased resources dedicated to monitoring radicalization and homegrown extremism, shifting focus from foreign-directed threats.
- **2013 - Lockdown protocols standardized across municipalities**: The April 19 shelter-in-place order during Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's capture became a template for emergency response in U.S. cities, later replicated in active-shooter scenarios.
- **2014 - Increased scrutiny of visa and vetting procedures**: Congressional investigations examined how Tamerlan Tsarnaev-flagged by Russian intelligence-had been granted entry and stayed in the U.S., leading to revised information-sharing protocols with allied nations.
- **2013 - Rise of crowdsourced investigations and misinformation**: Reddit users and online communities attempted real-time suspect identification during the manhunt, leading to false accusations and spawning ongoing debates about social media's role in crisis response.

## Then vs now

- **Annual marathon participants in Boston**: 2013: ~27,000 → 2023: ~30,000 - Recovered and grown after temporary post-attack decline; race continued annually despite security concerns.
- **Federal funding for domestic terrorism prevention**: 2013: $1.1 billion → 2023: $3.8 billion - Budget allocations to DHS and FBI domestic counterterrorism roughly tripled in the decade following the attack.
- **Use of facial recognition at U.S. public events**: 2013: Minimal/experimental → 2023: Widespread deployment - Boston Marathon attack accelerated adoption; 2013 investigation highlighted gaps filled by automated surveillance since.

## Impact

On April 15, 2013, two homemade bombs detonated near the Boston Marathon finish line, killing 3 people and injuring 264 others. The attack-carried out by brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev-prompted a massive manhunt, reshaped post-9/11 security doctrine, and became a watershed moment for how American cities prepared for and responded to domestic terrorism.

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/2013/2013-boston-marathon-bombing