I don’t think it was just two little snot-nosed kids though. They were practiced... We’re talking about kids who spent some of their lives in Chechnya witnessing horrible brutality. I doubt they did not have “connections” in the jihadist world.
A 19-year-old is a man - albeit a young one. But, they aren’t little kids - especially coming from places like they have seen in their young lives.
The youngest was 9 when he came to the US, all his formative views were determined by then in his former homes. He knows violence, maybe he adapted to US life for a time but I think we’ll find that the older brother re-ignited those embers and radicalized this kid after he himself spent time being trained in Russia. While they’re not equally radical, just look at the mom, dad, uncle, and aunt - they’re all a little off-center, doubtless as a result of the earlier lives they lived.
They clearly DID have connections in the Chechen terrorist world. According to the latest article on WaPo:
‘Also Friday, the FBI confirmed that its agents in Boston had interviewed Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011 at the request of a foreign government. A law enforcement official said the request came from the Russian government, concerned about Tsarnaev’s potential ties to Chechen terrorists. But, after that interview, the FBI did not follow him further, officials said.’