Nadine Ascencao: Boston Bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Ex Girlfriend Says She Was Made to Compete With Katherine Russell to Learn Islamic Verses [PHOTOS]
Nadine Ascencao, the ex-girlfriend of late Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, has spoken out, claiming that he had a profound hatred for America and abused her.
The Daily Mail reported that the 24-year-old said Tamerlan went from an adventurous student to an Islamic extremist who disliked the American way of life.
Photos can be seen here.
"One minute he's this funny, normal guy who liked boxing and having fun, the next he is praying four times a day, watching Islamic videos and talking insane nonsense," Ascencao told The Sun.
Ascencao claimed that throughout their three-year relationship, Tamerlan became abusive and tried to not only control what television shows she watched, but who she talked to and the clothes she wore.
"He hated my tight trousers and made me wear long skirts," she said. "Towards the end I was wearing a hijab. He once ripped a pair of my jeans and hit me in the face with them."
Ascencao said their relationship went downhill when Tamerlan met Katherine Russell at a nightclub. He later married Russell.
Tamerlan reportedly made the two women go against each other by forcing them to participate in a competition to learn Islamic verses.
"He became extremely religious and tried to brainwash me to follow Islam. Tamerlan said I couldn't be with him unless I became a Muslim. He wanted me to hate America like he did," Ascencao said.
A police report from July 2009 indicated that Tamerlan hit Ascencao during an argument at their home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Tamerlan was arrested, but charges were later dropped.
Ascencao said when she heard about the bombings and how Tamerlan died, she wasn't sad.
"When they said Tamerlan was dead, I didn't cry," she said. "I was more shocked Dzhokhar was involved. He was a nice kid."
Ascencao claimed that she has not spoken to Tamerlan in years.
Dzhokhar remains in police custody at a hospital after being injured in a shoot-out with police which led to his arrest hours after his brother's murder on April 19. Among other charges, he is charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.
