The Boston attack has brought a big suspense among the people. This attack was first planned for the US Independence Day by the two brothers Tamerlan and Tsarnaev. These two brothers were very young. Tsarnaev was only 19 while his brother was just 26. This news was announced by the officials who found some evidence of the attack, but instead of attacking the US, they attacked the Boston Marathon last month.

The reports announced that the attack was planned by the brothers on the 4th of July, but the date was changed. The two brothers were very young, but they built a bomb very soon. The brothers have built the two bombs with the help of pressure cookers, and this bomb was used for the attack in the Boston Marathon. Many people were wounded in this attack, and 3 people were killed. The attack took place on the 15th of April. The officials had some information about the attack on the 4th of July, but they were not aware about the attack of the 15th of April.

The elder brother Tamerlan was killed by the police on the 19th of April soon after 4 days of the attack. His brother was wounded, and was caught by the police. The younger brother after investigations was found guilty and was charged for a death penalty by the Government. The family claimed the body of the elder brother, which was kept at the Boston facility for a week, to carry out a funeral.

His wife Katherine was against the claim of the body as she was not supporting her husband for the attack. The family was wishing to get the dead body for the final ceremony. The wife was also under the eye of the investigators about how the bomb was planned and whether she helped them to build the bomb. The parents of the two brothers lived in the US before the attack, but they went to Russia after this great disaster, that was committed by their sons.

There were three other people who were caught by the investigators in connection to the attack. The other three were also students and friends of Tsarnaev. Among the three students, one was without a valid US visa and so the Republican Senator asked Obama about the security of the nation. These three were brought to Essex after they were caught in Boston. Among the three boys, one was named Tazhayakov whose visa was dismissed by the government as he was thrown out by the university. He was allowed to enter without a valid US visa. The three students were taken under investigations by the federal government and their lawyers are trying hard to prove them correct, and show that they were not connected with the attack.

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I am a nice, understanding, caring, sincere, honest, trustworthy, friendly single male from Delhi, India. I'm an experienced writer. I have written many articles in different niches, a fiction book, and some poems.

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If nothing else, the terrorist attacks on the Boston Marathon have led me to conclude that while, theoretically speaking, all people are born equal, some are more equal than others. I happened to be watching a foreign news channel when the unfortunate bomb blasts hit the sporting event in one my favorite cities in America. It was covering a series of attacks in Iraq on the same day which killed as many as 75 Iraqis in 20 cities across the troubled country. The news was interrupted – permanently. I stayed up all night, hearing tragic stories about the innocent American people who lost their loves due to the terrorist attacks, but nothing was heard about the Iraqi men, women and children who, too, were taken away from us too early.

For somebody who enjoys keeping up with national and international news on a regular basis, I always thought I was completely desensitized – that nothing I could see on the news could disturb me for more than a couple of minutes. Yet, the fact that the story about violence in Iraq was completely forgotten the minute a terrorist attack occurred on American soil somehow managed to wake up the human somewhere deep inside my soul.

I understand completely, proximity of such attacks brings out a different sense of grief and panic. Sometimes I remain disgustingly apathetic about drone attacks that are being carried out as close as 300km away from where I live. However, I think if we aspire to live in a global village where humanity prevails over nationality and ethnicity, we need to value human lives equally. An American life is not more valuable than an Iraqi life, which is not more valuable than an American life. Sadly, it probably easier said than done.

Having said that, I strongly believe people in my part of the world value American lives more than Americans value Pakistani (or to generalize, Middle Eastern Muslim) lives, not that it is or should be a competition. Where I lived, I saw a show of solidarity for the people of Iraq on April 15, and for the people of Boston on April 17. We might have been a day late, but we were there.

I have heard of Americans protesting the death of innocent civilians in Pakistan at the hands of drones run by America’s Central Intelligence Agency, but it is not often enough, and it is definitely not with enough conviction. You might be killing a handful of Dzhokhar Tsarnaevs, but you’re killing even more Martin Richards. It is not worth it, and even if the media is silent, it is time we speak up. Not for America, not for Iraq, not for Christianity, not for Atheism, not for Islam – but for humanity.  

At the end of the day, the American people vote in some of the most powerful people in the world. They have a responsibility – a difficult one – and one that earns them unfair criticism time and time again. As easy as it might seem to me writing from far away, I do wish the American people would exercise their constitutional right to freedom of speech more often and speak out on the atrocities their tax money is used to execute. The world might just be a happier place.

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Human. Pakistani. Law Student. Muslim.

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There have been rumors that the Taliban could be one of the sources that are behind the Boston marathon attacks, but the picture was cleared when Taliban stated that they have nothing to do with the Boston attacks. One of the Spokesmen added that they do have intentions to hit America but this time the attacks were not planned by them.

Taliban have always tried to kill Americans but they have also targeted the allies of the Americans as they think that their allies are equally responsible for what America does. They are of the opinion that America has always been anti-Islam, and that is the reason America started wars against them in Afghanistan and then in Iran.

The spokesman added quite firmly that it should not be assumed that if we are not responsible for such attacks in Boston, we will stop planning against the America. He also said that they will have the definite attack on America whenever they have the chance.

Due to the attacks in Boston, all of the major cities are on high alert, and heavy measurements are taken all over the cities so that any terrorist attack could be avoided. The people of America still can’t forget about what had happened on September 11, and that is why America is terrified with the bombs that exploded in the marathon. Whoever could be behind this attack but the major purpose was to target a large number of people. Fortunately, there was not a high amount of damage done and a few of the bombs were exploded, according to the police department. It is believed that these terrorists will try to have these types of attacks again, that is why most of the cities in America are on high alert and the people were told to be vigilant about the fact that these terrorists could be anywhere in America.

According to the statement given by Taliban, they have taken the responsibility of the time square attacks in 2010. Also, according to this statement, a Pakistani was involved in those attacks. Later, the police held that Pakistani into custody and was given a statement of a life time prison.

After some time, Taliban denied that they have hired Shehzad to do the bombings for them. The twist in the story came on later when during the trial, Shehzad confessed that he was given training by Taliban, and he showed some videos in which he met Hakim Ullah Mehsud who convinced him to attack the United States of America.

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An Interview with Malika Rushdan, ICNA Relief

 
Boston, MA (April 20, 2013) – As always some individuals and communities are being scape-goated and marginalized, most recently in the aftermath of the tragic Boston Marathon bombings.

To look at this, our guest Malika Rushdan MacDonald will be briefly discussing the impact of the recent bombings on the local Muslim and the wider immigrant communities of Boston. Malika is Project Director for Boston operations with Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Relief.
 
 

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Judging by the Youtube profile of the two Tamerian family members who committed the Boston city bombing several days earlier, they have been engaged with extremist Islamic groups. Although no official statement has been issued as of yet, there is little doubt in the validity of this information. Their public profile on Youtube, popular video sharing community is filled with extremist videos, tutorials and materials related in some ways to numerous terrorist groups that claim to have Islamic roots.

The Tamerian boys were obviously infatuated with this corrupt ideology, and we can only stipulate that it was for this reason they went on to commit such hideous acts.

When we asked a prominent Boston citizen “One of the Boston Bomber brothers had a youtube page featuring Islamic content.  What affect do you think this will have?”, his reply was pretty expected. “These guys will never stop attacking us, we need to act fast and stop any future attacks against the US”.

Now we ask you, our readers, what can you make of their youtube channel, and what consequences will this discovery yield in US-Islam relations?

Surely, any ideology, religion, nation and movement can act violently, place bombs and take innocent lives. But where does it lead? What was the purpose of this attack, other than inflicting as much harm to innocents, is there any message behind it? Any such act should be fiercely condemned by Islamic leaders, and no quarter should be given to those committing, or inciting such acts.

The Tamerlan Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/muazseyfullah

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By now, few people are in the dark about what is going on in Boston, Massachusetts. The amount of information available to people, however, has remained limited. Knee-jerk media reports had earlier suggested that a Saudi man present at the Boston Marathon was somehow involved in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil in recent times. However, when evidence surfaced that he was just as innocent as anybody else, the media was heavily criticized for being biased against people who are from Muslim countries. The criticism intensified when rumors spread that two Russian men were in fact involved in the terrorist attack. In an interesting turn of events, however, some media channels have revealed that the YouTube channel one of the two Caucasian suspects suggests that he was influenced by Islamic fundamentalists.

It is still extremely unclear whether these men carried out these attacks. The FBI has been reluctant to call them anything more than suspects, and until any court of law finds them guilty of conducting terrorist activities, it would be wrong to call them terrorists. The American people are proud of their constitution and the fact that it gives everybody the right to due process of law. Unfortunately, both men were shot down by FBI agents in their attempt to secure the American people. We will never know the exact motivation behind the attacks so we are forced to rely on what little information we have. This YouTube channel makes up the majority of that information.

If nothing else, the Boston Marathon attack has reminded many Americans that Islam is inherently violent. Such a deduction, in my opinion, is extremely unfair. I am not going to defend my point by arguing that Islam is inherently and entirely peaceful, because such a claim would be difficult to support. Even if one of the two suspects was inspired by the tenets of Islam, which I will not deny, Islam does not necessarily preach violence. All Abrahamic religions have vast room for interpretation, and that is what makes them so popular among followers. Whether it is Christianity, Judaism or Islam, religion can be interpreted to almost anything you want it to be.

Muslims have been living in America for decades now, contributing actively towards the betterment of society. I hope people realize that statements like ‘Islam means terrorism’ and ‘All Muslims are terrorists’ (just a couple that I picked up from the YouTube channel) only make them look like prejudicial, ignorant people who walk into the shallow path of stereotypes. Muslims are more than a single interpretation of Islam. Let’s not forget that. I live in a country with a Muslim-majority population. I live in the most dangerous city in the world (Time Magazine, 2012). I attended a silent protest to pay respects to the victims of the Boston Marathon massacre, even though no one from my city was even remotely responsible for the tragedy that occurred. Do all Muslims really want innocent Americans to be killed?

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Human. Pakistani. Law Student. Muslim.

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A little boy died. I saw his face for a second on the television today. He was eight years old. He had run away from where he was standing with his mother and sister, to greet his father who was just crossing the finish line of the Boston Marathon. When he ran back, a bomb exploded under the bleachers.

If the boy had stayed with his father, he would have still been alive, with his family. But he ran back to his mother as the explosion occurred. His mother and sister are in the hospital. His father is destroyed with grief.

The point is that the Feds made a raid in Revere, and had a man in custody. But really, what does it matter on the long run? Saudi, American, or any other national origin, It’s about hate and the desperate distortions that hate brings with it, that could drive anyone mad.

We don’t need gun control. We don’t need to make our borders more secure. We don’t need war. Hate is impervious to any barriers or constraints, or deterrents that can be imposed upon it. Hate is the spawn of the demons of ignorance and narrowmindedness that consumes the heart and takes possession of the soul. Hate is a learned way of living and a learned behavior.

Neither children nor animals know hate. Children learn hate through experiencing fear and pain. Hate multiplies itself like cancer, feeding off the souls of its victims, leaving devastation and chaos in its path.

Hate has many names. Greed, pride, envy, anger, laziness, and lust to name a few. There is only one weapon that can defeat hate. I have many names as well, and they all mean the same. Tolerance means love. Understanding means love. Respect means love. Caring means love. Patience means love. Doing good deeds, just because you can, means love. Not having a hidden agenda means love. We can teach hate, or we can teach love. We can learn hate, or we can learn love.

Almost a year ago, 8-year-old Martin Richard wrote four simple words on a sign at school:

“No more hurting people,” he wrote. For the camera, he held up the bright blue sign decorated with hearts framing the word “Peace.”

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The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today said hate incidents in Massachusetts and New York occurred following the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon.
CAIR press release 

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The Patriots day, 15th April 2013 celebrates the first of American Revolutionary Wars, in lieu of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Every year Bostonians commemorate the Patriotism through a marathon that is labeled as The Boston Marathon. This year the Boston Marathon attended by thousands was greeted by a wretched plan by the hands of terrorists, whether Muslims or non-Muslims; they are wretched.

Two explosions went off on the Boylston Street with a little distance in between, and the marathon joined by children, women and elders alike was turned into an emergency zone. The explosions that were later identified as a pressure cooker bombs (made by placing explosives, bits of metal and bearing balls in black nylon duffel bags or backpacks inside the pressure cooker) were strong enough to injure 183 people and take the lives of 3 innocents who probably had nothing to do with terrorism, extremism, America, Al-Qaeda, secret agencies or war in general.

The Americans mourn the departed souls in deep sorrow, and the international community has also joined in the lamentation –we the Muslims seriously condemn the attack and pay our condolences to the innocent while vow complete quarantining of the world from the evil elements who do not want peace.

But at the same time as that another round of tension has started. Just like the 9/11 and its aftershocks were borne more by the innocent Muslims than the innocents who lost their loved ones; it is being feared that the Boston Marathon Bombings might reinvigorate the same prejudiced or rather skeptical behavior towards Muslims in the west and the US. Though in his speech, the American President Barrack Obama did not single out anything nor did he mention any links to the extremists groups, he did term them as senseless acts of violence and terrorism.

The pattern of reactions is similar to that of 9/11 attacks when despite having nothing to do with the terrorists and the attacks, many Muslims received ill treatment and prejudiced opinions were formed. Just because a group of people who were terrorists belonged to Islam, all the Muslims were labeled as such. As expected, some of the first in journalists and bloggers started the same array of bigotry that smelled of discrimination. For example, Pam Giller a famous anti-Muslim blogger and Eric Rush a regular guest commentator on Fox News sent quick tweets like Jihad in America and let’s kill them –a tweet that Eric later deleted.

Conservative host Glenn Beck opined that:

“No American citizen blows up a random person, that’s Middle Eastern scene, that’s not an American scene. When our crazies go off, they target the government, not streets that are crowded with people.”

Now is a time when we need to stop people from jumping to conclusion, and when we need to stop narrow minded bigots from playing their part in reinforcing the post 9/11 hatred that was unjustly creed based. It is now upon us and of course the logical and receptive minds of the west to ensure that the ordinary people get the true story or at least get both sides of the stories. This is so because it is eventually the ordinary public that holds the gun or the flag or whatever. It is the perception of the ordinary populace that lets the government take discriminatory measures –or hinder them.

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Running an IT consultant company. Providing web development, social media marketing, SEO and content writing services.

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April 16, 2013 – ICNA Relief’s Boston Field Office Director Malika MacDonald, stood in solidarity with hundreds of other Americans at Boston Commons candlelight vigil, for those killed and injured during the Boston Marathon bombings. The location of the vigil was just blocks from where the tragic attack took place.

ICNA Relief’s Malika MacDonald with hundreds of others at the Boston Commons candlelight vigil on April 16, 2013.

“As a Bostonian, born and raised in Massachusetts, I felt a responsibility to be at the vigil with my fellow Bostonians. As an Irish American Muslim, I felt a deeper obligation to attend as the face of Islam in America, representing the organization I work for; ICNA Relief.” said Malika. “This is my city, it was an attack on my city and my neighbors, I stand united with Boston and will do my share to help my city heal” expressed Malika.

By Christina Jedra, Globe Correspondent

Hundreds of supporters gathered around the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common Tuesday night to honor the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions and their loved ones in a vigil called Peace, Here and Everywhere.

In the quiet crowd, visitors lit candles, signed banners, and listened to a choir perform, sometimes joining in for songs including “Amazing Grace” and “The Star Spangled Banner.”

“I think it’s kind of beautiful,” said Alicia Carroll, an Emerson College freshman at the vigil. “It reminds me of the patriotic feel of the inauguration. It’s nice to see so many people that care.”

Cloth banners were placed on the ground with markers laying nearby for anyone to add a positive note to the colorful community contributions already there. Messages included, “We are Boston strong,” “We’re all with you,” “Peace,” and “Love destroys hate.” One small child waving an American flag in the front of the crowd attracted many somber stares, possibly a reminder of the attack’s first reported death, 8-year-old Martin Richard.

Surrounding the banners, many supporters looked on silently, sometimes breaking down in tears, embracing their loved ones, and offering lit candles to those arriving.

Organizers elected not to have an official format for the vigil. Instead, attendees were encouraged to bring flowers, banners, song lyrics, or anything else that promoted the peaceful theme.

“There will be no agenda, no speakers, and no nonsense,” the Facebook event description stated.

In this fashion, members of one of Emerson College’s acapella groups, Achoired Taste, started an impromptu performance of The Beatles song “Let It Be.”

Minako Sumi, a marathon runner at the vigil who was not physically hurt by the blasts, said she came to the gathering for a simple reason.

“I wanted to pray,” she said.

In terms of upcoming peace efforts, Carroll said that she is encouraging fellow Bostonians to join events like Boston College’s “The Last 5,” where organizers hope to symbolically finish the marathon this Friday.

“It doesn’t end here,” she said.

Article Courtesy: Boston Globe

ICNA Relief USA is the relief division of ICNA. It is a domestic, Islamic faith-based relief agency that manages several programs nationwide mainly in the areas of disaster response, hunger prevention, domestic abuse and free health care. It seeks to alleviate human suffering by providing caring, compassionate, and practical assistance.

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April 16, 2013
 
In an interview with ICNA.org, Jalon Fowler, a Muslim participant of the Boston Marathon relates her experience.

I have always dreamed of running the Boston Marathon; I have grown up seeing others in the Boston area train and prepare for the marathon. Three years ago, I finally took the plunge and joined my company’s Marathon Training Program. I also very much wanted to give back to the community and, therefore, became a charity runner for the Boys & Girls Club of Boston and the Ron Burton Training Village. Both organizations serve inner city and under-served youth.

The Challenge
I trained for over six months for this race. I did a lot of running with my company’s Employee Training Program, local running groups and with friends. We ran through rain, wind and snow. We also did many 5 am runs, two half marathon races and several 16, 18 and 20 mile runs. I kept up with the training through busy times at work, sick kids and other life events. I remained committed because training for a marathon is simply something you put your heart and soul and believe that you get out of it what you put into it.

Faith
Charity, helping others, and being the best emotional, spiritual and physical person are major parts of being a Muslim. The marathon allowed me to strive towards these all of these goals.

The Experience
This was my third Boston Marathon and I was on pace for my best finish to-date. However, the dream ended at mile 21 when the race was shut down due to explosions at the finish line. At this point, we were all quickly ushered off the course and told that, in addition to the finish line explosions, there were several suspicious packages being investigated. We were all heartbroken, devastated and scared by this news. During this time, we hugged each other and shared cell phones to contact loved ones. Thankfully, my husband and two young children were with me at mile 21. Since our car was close by, we drove a fellow stranded runner home. Unfortunately, my other family members were waiting for me at the finish line when the explosions happened and had to run for safety.

I am heartbroken, that so many innocent people were hurt. This beautiful day was scarred by this tragedy. I am thankful that my family was safe.

My Message
I put my heart and soul into training and raising money for The Boys and Clubs of Boston and The Ron Burton Training Village and can’t believe it ended in such a tragic way. I love Boston. I love the Boston running community. I can’t wait to proudly run these streets again. I will run the Boston Marathon until my body cannot take it anymore, God willing, for those that cannot.

I pray that whoever is responsible for these horrific acts are brought to justice. It was no doubt an act of cowardice and evil.

Jalon Fowler lives near Boston with her husband and 3 children.

© The Islamic Circle of North America- ICNA.org

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JAMAICA, New York (April 15, 2013) – The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) expresses its outrage at the bomb attacks today on the Boston Marathon. The senseless attack left at least three people dead and many more injured including several who have lost their limbs.

ICNA joins Americans in prayer for the victims and their families during this horrific incident. ICNA also appeals all Americans to help the Law Enforcement to bring the perpetrators of this crime to speedy justice.

ICNA President Naeem Baig said “all Americans including American Muslims condemn this heinous attack on civilians and pray for the quick recovery of the injured.”

The Islamic Circle of North America is a leading American Muslim organization dedicated to the betterment of society through the application of Islamic values. Since 1968, ICNA has worked to build relations between communities by devoting itself to education, outreach, social services and relief efforts.

—END—

Islamic Circle of North America
E-mail:
Office: (718) 658-1199

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Yesterday, on April 15th, there was a severe bombing attack during the annual Boston Marathon. It is suspected that 3 persons died, and more than 100 were injured. The reasons behind the attack are as of yet undisclosed. The US President, Barack Obama, in a press conference held immediately after the incident claimed that the identity and affiliation of the attacker or attackers, is yet unknown.

By eye witness statement, as reported by CNN, there were two bombs, placed in different locations near the finish line of the marathon, and they went off simultaneously just as the runners approached the finish. Police officials claim they located additional bombs, which luckily did not explode, due to some malfunction or other reasons. The un-active devices were scattered across the entire city of Boston.

In this moment, we, as the M.A. team, wish to convey our sympathies, and condolences to the victims, their families and the entire city of Boston. Such tragic events serve no purpose other than to alleviate already high tensions, and we sincerely hope the perpetrators will be found and punished.

The M.A. team

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The heist:

The cheerful St. Patrick’s Day on March 18th 1990 at Boston saw everybody completely occupied with the green festival of the masses, completely oblivious to a dark plan taking shape and being implemented – a task that is going to leave Boston scarred with a great loss.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum was approached by two unwelcomed police officers in its 4-storeyed grandeur that held some of the greatest treasures of art. The police officers forced their way in with the authority that their uniforms gave them and hand cuffed the two guards inside the building under grounds of suspicion. The police officers were thieves in disguise; their motive would not have been too difficult to understand given that they were standing in the compounds of a museum holding many priceless art works.

The lost works:

The thieves quickly paved their way through 13 pieces of art in about 81 minutes including many 4 Rembrandts. To any art-lover this count would be enough to force a tear drop. However, more than the loss of precious art, this theft which accounted to an estimated loss of $500m is also officially the greatest property theft till date. Empty frames still hang in the Gardner museum as a sad reminder of the loss but also as a hopeful placeholder for the return on the works.

The Quest:

The news of the great loss did not take time to trigger investigations to be branched out towards every possible corner. Though the progress of these investigations had been put to several pit falls, and hindrances due to several internal matters; however, the search continued and is claimed to be fast-paced.

Over the last few years, the FBI has short listed on many places. FBI’s Richard DesLauriers confirmed that the agency believes the theft to be conducted by a criminal organization from New England and the Mid Atlantic States. Authorities are also said to believe that the art works were later taken to Connecticut and Philadelphia years after the theft, and there were attempts of sale, successful or unsuccessful, that were made in Philadelphia about a decade ago.

Carmen Ortiz, a US attorney, confirmed that as the statute of limitations has expired the accused will be facing full charges, but she signalled towards potential immunity deals to retrieve the art.

The Fumble:

As is expected and needed from mass media, press of all kinds have been hovering above every authority in charge of the case. DesLauriers have been constantly dodging all questions of identity of the thieves as he believes any revelation of this kind can delay the investigation further.

Last year, a Connecticut man – Robert Gentile – was reportedly under suspicious eyes for the crime but later he pleaded guilty for a weapons and prescription drugs case. His lawyer confirmed that Gentile testified of having no connection to the theft but only certain acquaintances which that authorities suspect as accused.

FBI now reveals that they have finally solved the mystery of who stole the art work but to many a disappointment, they are still not disclosing the information. This leads to more speculations and a scope of further twists and turns to the already daunting theft at Isabella Stewart Gardner museum located in Boston.

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UniqueWriter

I am a nice, understanding, caring, sincere, honest, trustworthy, friendly single male from Delhi, India. I'm an experienced writer. I have written many articles in different niches, a fiction book, and some poems.

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