3:00 p.m.:
The government continued to try to show that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was inspired by a belief in a violent global jihad to set off bombs at the Boston Marathon in April of 2013.
Prosecutors called on Michael Levitt, a terrorism expert with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a graduate of Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In what sounded like a job interview, the prosecutor questioned Levitt about his extensive resume, which includes authorship of numerous papers on Hamas and Hezbollah. Levitt was asked to read the materials found on Tsarnaev computers or devices shared by Tsarnaev and other users in his family’s household.
The government hoped to show that Tsarnaev was motived by radical sermons and beliefs and not by an overbearing brother, Tamerlan.
11:30 a.m.:
In a combative cross examination, the defense accused FBI agent Kevin Swindon of misrepresenting Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s computer habits.
Last week, Swindon noted that devices linked to Tsarnaev contained an article on homemade bomb making and sermons by the radical cleric Anwar Al Awlaki.
But this morning, defense attorney William Fick testily argued that most of Tsarnaev’s computer use was innocuous.
Fick also said not enough attention was being paid to the computer habits of other members of Tsarnaev’s circle—including his deceased brother Tamerlan and Tamerlan’s wife Katherine.
7:00 a.m.
Lawyers for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will try to blunt the testimony of an FBI computer expert who described extremist materials found on his computer and other devices.
Tsarnaev's lawyers on Monday are expected to cross-examine Swindon, a supervisory special agent for the cyber squad at the FBI's Boston office. Swindon testified Thursday that Tsarnaev had Inspire magazine, an al-Qaida publication, and other radical materials on his computer.
After detailed and at times blistering testimony from Swindon, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's defense is set to cross-examine.
Their task is to try to convince the jury that voluminous data, as it was described, found on Tsarnaev’s computer, including an article on how to make a bomb, was not evidence that he was inspired by religious radical thoughts.
Tsarnaev's lawyers contend that most of the material found on his computer was typical for college students, including cars, girls and school work.
The defense team also hopes to downplay the government’s contention that Tsarnaev took inspiration from a radical American cleric whose sermons were found on his computer drives and peripherals.
The government is expected to call its last witnesses this week and court officials tell WGBH News that the prosecution will rest its case by the end of the day Wednesday.
The 21-year-old Tsarnaev faces the possibility of the death penalty for carrying out the deadly 2013 attack with his brother. Three people were killed and more than 260 were injured.
