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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Byrd reporting. A jury in Massachusetts has sentenced convicted bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death.
A jury of seven men and five women issued the verdict Friday in Boston after deliberating for more than 14 hours over three days. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who prosecuted the case, said at a news conference that the verdict was "fair and just." "The defendant claimed to be acting on behalf of all Muslims. This was not a religious crime. And it certainly does not reflect true Muslim beliefs. It was a political crime, designed to intimidate and to coerce the United States." Tsarnaev was convicted last month of all 30 federal charges against him. Seventeen of them carried the possibility of the death penalty. Tsarnaev and his brother, Tamerlan, set off pressure cooker bombs packed with shrapnel near the marathon finish line on April 15, 2013. Three people were killed and more than 200 wounded. Tamerlan and his brother, Tamerlan, later killed a campus policeman as well. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a gunfight with police. Islamic State militants took over the local government compound in the Iraqi city of Ramadi on Friday, raising their black flag over the capital of Anbar province. An Iraqi parliamentarian told VOA's Kurdish service that the city was not in complete control by the Islamic State, however. Government forces are believed to still be holding out at a military command center in western Ramadi. For more on these stories, please log on to our website voanews.com. This is VOA news. Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza has thanked his security forces for stopping a military coup against his government. President Nkurunziza [said that in a radio address Friday that, motor, that is,] made the comments in a radio address Friday after returning to the capital, Bujumbura. His motorcade was cheered by thousands of supporters. He also warned protesters to stop their demonstrations against his decision to seek a third term. Earlier Friday, authorities in Burundi said they arrested three people in connection with Wednesday's attempted coup against the president. A presidential spokesman told VOA's Gabe Joselow that the leader of the coup attempt, General Godefroid Niyombare, remains at large. Searchers in Nepal have found the wreckage of a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter that crashed during an earthquake relief flight. Officials say it is apparent that all aboard were killed. Lieutenant-General John Wissler, a senior commander of the Marines based in Japan, said the helicopter went down three days ago in a mountainous area of east-central Nepal. It is not possible, he said, for anyone on board to have survived. "I'm not able to positively identify the cause of the mishap. I'm also unable to positively confirm the identities of any of the remains of the service members, either from the U.S. or from Nepal, that were on board that aircraft." In Washington, President Obama mourned the loss of the American helicopter crew. He described them as "selfless individuals dedicated to the international humanitarian aid mission." U.S. officials are assessing the details of the crash, which was part of an American task force in Nepal dubbed Operation Helping Hand. President Obama called on Americans to honor law enforcement officers by working harder to heal divisions between officers and the communities they serve. Speaking at a special ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Mr. Obama said that law enforcement deaths are what he called a "too common reminder of the risk inherent in the jobs." "We can work harder as a nation to heal the rifts that still exist in some places between law enforcement and the people you risk your lives to protect. We owe it to all of you who wear the badge with honor." Mr. Obama did not mention any of the black men who died recently in police shootings. And musicians and fans are mourning the death of legendary American guitarist B.B. King, who died at home Thursday night in Las Vegas. During his nearly 70-year career, King helped popularize the blues genre and influenced countless other rock and blues musicians with his soulful voice and screaming guitar. I'm David Byrd in Washington. That's the latest world news from VOA. |