After Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found bloodied and hiding in a boat in the yard of a house in Watertown, Massachusetts, last year, there were murmurs the 19-year-old had left a note explaining his alleged motive.
Until now, only fragments of that note -- contents of which were apparently misreported -- were made public.
According to court documents released Wednesday, Tsarnaev's note -- which was scrawled in pencil on a wall of the boat -- includes details about both his religion and his brother Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout with police in the days after the bombing. (View a picture of what's believed to be the note on ABC.)
The letter stated:
I’m jealous of my brother who ha[s] [re]ceived the reward of jannutul Firdaus (inshallah) before me. I do not mourn because his soul is very much alive. God has a plan for each person. Mine was to hide in this boat and shed some light on our actions. I ask Allah to make me a shahied (iA) to allow me to return to him and be among all the righteous people in the highest levels of heaven. He who Allah guides no one can misguide. A[llah Ak]bar!
The US Government is killing our innocent civilians but most of you already know that. As a [UI] I can’t stand to see such evil go unpunished, we Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all. Well at least that’s how muhhammad (pbuh) wanted it to be [for]ever, the ummah is beginning to rise/[UI] has awoken the mujahideen, know you are fighting men who look into the barrel of your gun and see heaven, now how can you compete with that. We are promised victory and we will surely get it. Now I don’t like killing innocent people it is forbidden in Islam but due to said [UI] it is allowed. All credit goes [UI].
Stop killing our innocent people and we will stop.
As the Boston Globe notes, another court filing stated the note also contained the following: "God has a plan for each person. Mine was to hide in this boat and shed some light on our actions."
Prior to the release of these documents, news outlets had conflicting reports on the contents of the note. Last year, law officials reported the note said "F*ck America" -- a phrase not found in the filings. Initially, the note's existence was even negated. "Spokespeople for the Massachusetts State Police and the Watertown police had denied the existence of the writings when first asked about them," ABC News wrote in a report published last year.
Tsarnaev is accused of setting off bombs near the Boston marathon finish line on April 15, 2013. Three people died, and more than 260 were injured.
Tsarnaev currently faces the death penalty. He has pleaded not guilty.