Do These Social Media Profiles, YouTube Videos Belong to the Boston Bombers?

A social media profile on Vkontakte, Russia's equivalent to Facebook, shows a page attributed to a man named Djohar Tsarnaev. Naturally, considering what's happening in the news this morning, there's a flurry of angry Boston Marathon-bomb related messages being posted on the page.

With 19-year-old Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev (Suspect Number Two) named as one of the two suspects in the Boston Marathon terror attack, the assumption that some media outlets -- and the public, at large -- have advanced is that the Vkontakte page may belong to the purported assailant.

While this is certainly possible, there's no definitive proof that this is the case. That said, the page's contents are intriguing and with explaining. It also appears it is the profile Fox's Jennifer Griffin has been citing on-air -- one she says law enforcement has told her they believe to be authentic.

The profile claims that Tsarnaev currently lives in Boston, his worldview is listed as "Islam" and his interests are "career and money." Here's a screen shot from the page:

Screen shot of Vkontakte page

Numerous outlets are connecting Suspect Number 2 to the profile.

The Vkontakte page also claims that Tsarnaev attended the Cambridge Ringe & Latin School -- something that may be verified by an old, local blog report.The Cambridge News Weekly listed a man by the name of "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the school's wrestling team back in 2011 (the same year that the social media profile indicates that he graduated).

Adding to this element, a former classmate on the "Today" show said that Tsarnaev went to school with her, appeared normal, and that he was a member of the wrestling team. She was reluctant to describe him as "nice," although that was her recollection of her high school years. The young woman also confirmed that that images being circulated are of the man she went to school with.

See his name listed under "wrestling" on the Cambridge News Weekly, below:

Screen shot from the local blog report

And there's also an individual by this name who won a $2,500 scholarship in 2011 from the City of Cambridge:

Screen shot from the City of Cambridge website

It seems that Vkontakte isn't the only social media platform that may have been used by the purported bomber. Mediaite is also reporting that some are questioning whether this YouTube video features -- or may have been posted by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev:

A Twitter account emerged on Friday morning, attributed to "Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev" (username: @Dzhokhar_A). The account started sending messages to the Boston Police Department's official account. The first tweet sent on Friday morning reads, "@Boston_Police I will kill you all as you killed my brother."

[blackbirdpie url="https://twitter.com/Dzhokhar_A/status/325210633358434304"]

Other messages spout similar sentiment, although it should be noted that it seems unlikely that the alleged bomber would launch a Twitter account in the middle of a manhunt. It appears the account is fake, but it has already gathered thousands of followers.

Purportedly fake social media presence aside, the other suspect who died earlier today, identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, is Suspect Number 2's brother. And he, too, has allegedly been active on social media as well.

Among his purported use of new media is a YouTube account that some outlets have alleged is the purported bomber's. Registered to the name "Tamerlan Tsarnaev," the account was created in Aug. 2012. (YouTube account is: muazseyfullah).

One of the clips that is making rounds is described by Mother Jones:

The deceased suspect in the bombing of the Boston marathon, which killed three and injured more than 170, appears to have posted a video extolling an extremist religious prophecy associated with Al Qaeda to his YouTube page.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the 26 year-old brother of the second Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, had a YouTube page where he posted religious videos, including a video of Feiz Mohammad, a fundamentalist Australian Muslim preacher who rails against the evils of Harry Potter. Among those videos is one dedicated to the prophecy of the Black Banners of Khurasan which is embraced by Islamic extremists—particularly Al Qaeda. The videos posted on what appears to be Tsarnaev's YouTube page may shed light on the motivations for the attack on the Boston Marathon. The prophecy states that an invincible army will come from the region of "Khurasan," a large portion of territory in central Asia.

"This is a major hadith (reported saying of the prophet Muhammad) that jihadis use, it is essentially an end-time prophecy," says Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy "This is definitely important in Al Qaeda's ideology." [...]

The older Tsarnaev seems to have posted the video four months ago under the username "muazseyfullah." According to Zelin, "Mu'az is usually a name," and "Sayf Allah means sword of God."

Watch the clip, below:

In addition to purported social media presence, Slate claims that there's an Amazon Wish List that's also circulating -- one that is allegedly tied to Tamerlan Tsarnaev. While the items on the list are capturing attention, it's important to note that it cannot be definitively attached to the deceased bombing suspect; also, no items have been added to the list since 2007.

Among those elements present, though, are books entitled, "How to Make Driver's Licenses and Other ID on Your Home Computer" and "The I.D. Forger: Homemade Birth Certificates & ​Other Documents Explained," among others. Another subject of apparent interest for the Wish List owner? A publication called "Organized Crime: AN INSIDE GUIDE TO THE WORLD'S MOST SUCCESSFUL INDUSTRY."

Screen shot from Johannes Hirn's web site

Tamerlan is also said to have been a boxer who had dreams of being on the U.S. Olympic team. Pictures by a photographer allegedly document his talents in the ring. In one of the captions, Tamerlan is allegedly quoted as saying, "I'm very religious."