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Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: Star student who became America's most-wanted man

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To his father, he was a "true angel", and to a family friend "a beautiful boy in a tux" at a prom party. School friends found nothing remotely strange or off-putting about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

He was an all-star member of the wrestling team at the highly regarded Cambridge Rindge and Latin high school in Massachusetts, and winner of a $2,500 scholarship in 2011, his final year.

He left to take up a place at the University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth where, as far as his father, Anzor, was concerned, he was dedicated second-year medical student.

"My son is a true angel," said Tsarnaev, speaking from Makhachkala, in the Russian province of Dagestan. "He is such an intelligent boy. We expected him to come on holidays here."

According to reports, Dzhokhar became a US citizen last year - on September 11.

Friends and acquaintances expressed disbelief at how the sociable, if reserved, 19-year-old became America's most wanted man, suspected of bringing carnage to the Boston marathon.

The only sign of trouble came when he was sacked as a lifeguard at Harvard University swimming pool last summer after turning up late once too often.

Larry Aaronson, a retired teacher at the Rindge and Latin school, wrote on a social networking site: "I knew this kid. He could not have possibly have done this. He could not have been a sweeter more gracious young man. I cannot believe he was capable of such a heinous crime and of so many murders."

Robin Young, a local radio host, tweeted: "He came to the prom party we had. Beautiful boy. Remember djoharn [sic] well, beautiful boy in tux at prom party and elsewhere."

Dzhokhar was clearly attached to his parents' homeland, Chechnya, which he had never visited, and to its faith, Islam. On his account with the Russian social networking site, VKontakte (In Contact) he says he speaks English, Russian and Chechen but was born in Dagestan, which borders Chechnya.

He lists his "World View" as Islam and his "Personal Priority" as "career and money". He also lists one of his favourite songs as Hey Sexy Lady by Shaggy.

He added links to pages calling for independence for Chechnya, which lost its bid for secession from Russia after two bloody wars in the Nineties.

He also posted a video expressing sympathy with rebels fighting in Syria, and a clip of a Kuwaiti sheikh talking to a blind boy who memorised the Koran.

The page reveals a sense of humour. The most recent post on the account, uploaded on March 19, was a video called "The bro did good".

It features a young man sitting in the back of a car and smiling as he mimics several different accents from the Caucasus region. Beneath the video is a comment: "Islam is not a religion of terror! Judge Muslims on Islam, and not vice versa!"

He also retells some jokes about the unfair treatment of Muslims in the North Caucasus. One reads: "They have this riddle in school. There is a car. Inside are a man from Dagestan, a second man from Chechnya and a third man from Ingushetia. Question - who is driving the car? Answer - the police."

Rebecca, a high school friend, said of him: "I think he seemed to keep to himself in that he was kind of reserved, but his demeanour was always friendly and he would show up at the big social gatherings.

"He was a familiar part of the community, he didn't isolate himself."

A high school friend, who asked to remain anonymous, added: "As recently as November 1 played pick up basketball with him and he seemed like he was doing great at UMASS Dartmouth. I don't know what changed since then but evidently it was something pretty big."

 

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