BOSTON (AP) - The mother of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects is drawing increased attention after U.S. officials said Russian authorities intercepted her phone calls, including one in which she vaguely discussed jihad with her son.
Russian-born Zubeidat Tsarnaeva has undergone a transformation in recent years.
In photos of her as a younger woman, she wears a low-cut blouse and has her hair teased like a rock star. She went to beauty school.
But after becoming inspired by a family friend, she began wearing a hijab and praying daily. One acquaintance says she cited conspiracy theories about 9/11 being a plot against Muslims.
Tsarnaeva says she's no terrorist, just someone who found a deeper spirituality.
She says she's tired of "all this nonsense that they make up about me and my children."
