Tsarnaev Says They Got No Outside Help, Brother Was 'Driving Force' In Attacks

Despite speaking only one word during his initial hospital hearing, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is still saying a lot to investigators about his role in the Boston Marathon bombing. According to government sources who have revealed details of the interviews to CNN's Jake Tapper, Tsarnaev has reportedly pointed the finger at his brother as the "driving force" of the plot, who was determined to "defend Islam from attack." He also told investigators that the pair received no outside assistance from any international terrorist groups, and government officials say the that the brothers fit the profile of "self-radicalized" terrorists who were not recruited or supported by any other known groups.

Tsarnaev's claims have not been fully verified and the investigators will continue to look at the possibility that others were involved. But it is worth nothing that the answers to these important questions are being provided even after Tsarnaev was read his Miranda rights. If they turn out to be true, that could put to rest both the idea that Tsaranev could qualify as an "enemy combatant" or that treating him as such would have been the only way to gather valuable information. Tsarnaev has been communicating to the special "high value target" interrogators through a combination of writing, nods, and the occasional spoken word. He remains in the hospital with several serious injuries.

Read more at The Atlantic Wire.