With his smoky eyes and tousled hair, the latest Rolling Stone cover story subject could pass for any rising U.S. music star. But this is no pop portrait. Overlaid with the headline “The Bomber”, the picture shows Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (19), the Boston Marathon bombing suspect, and has triggered backlash.
One criminologist warned that it glorified Tsarnaev of planting bombs that killed three and injured 264 — and could send out a dangerous message. The U.S. pharmacy chain CVS said it would not stock it. The photo accompanies an article by Rolling Stone contributing editor Janet Reitman, which the magazine described as a “deeply reported” investigation into Tsarnaev’s life and “a riveting and heartbreaking account of how a charming kid with a bright future became a monster”. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2013
