Boston 4/15/13
The Boston Marathon was bombed today near the finish line with allegations of multiple other unexploded devices:
CBS Boston station WBZ-TV reports one of the three who died from the attack was an 8-year-old boy.
Two bombs exploded near the crowded finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing three people and injuring more than 125 others in a terrifying scene of broken glass, smoke and severed limbs, authorities said.
Police reportedly set off at least one other explosive device with a water cannon. On Monday night, a federal law enforcement source told CBS News correspondent Bob Orr that an earlier report was incorrect that authorities had found one other device that was intact and had not been detonated. Orr reports that authorities are not in possession of such a device.
CBS News senior correspondent John Miller reports that a Saudi national is being questioned by authorities. He was seen “acting suspiciously” running from the explosion, and a civilian chased him down and tackled him. He was turned over to Boston police and is being questioned by the FBI. He is being cooperative and denies any involvement.
“This could mean a lot, or this could mean very little,” Miller said. “It’s too soon to call him a suspect.”
Miller reported earlier that authorities are also reviewing surveillance video that shows a man from behind carrying two backpacks near the site of the explosions. Authorities are not sure whether the subject in the video is linked to the blasts.
Boston police say no suspect has been taken into custody.
There is much speculation and misinformation at the present time and a rush to analytic judgement is premature when crucial physical evidence is in the early stages of being found, identified and tested by expert investigators. White House officials have classified the attack – which featured a second blast to harm first responders and bystanders – “terrorism”.
Terrorism would appear to be accurate. Whether this is by a group or a “lone wolf” is not yet determined. The presence of multiple, coordinated bombs would be very difficult for one person acting alone to plant without detection but not impossible, a small cell is more likely. A high failure rate of bombs may indicate a determined amateur rather than a professional bomb-builder from a group like the IRA, Hezbollah or Lashkar-e- Taiba, all of which are noted for their skill with explosives. Nor can a foreign state security agency be definitively ruled out at this time, though that is much less likely a possibility ( Pointlessly bomb the Boston Marathon and get yourself a 2 carrier group aerial “regime decapitation” campaign).
Before jumping to conclusions about the possible identity of the Boston Bomber, recall first guesses are frequently wrong and as with the “Anthrax Letters”, we may never know for certain. Or the FBI may run down the culprits in the next 48 hours. People using this attack to score cheap partisan political points right now in the media or on social network sites are supreme asshats
April 16th, 2013 at 2:42 am
A psychiatrist friend just speculated that it may be a physically disabled person taking revenge against the “abled”..but I think 5 bombs pretty much rules that out. Well, we will probably find out soon enough.
April 16th, 2013 at 2:57 am
Agree whole heartedly about the jerks trying to score political points of this tragedy.
April 16th, 2013 at 3:38 am
One conclusion I can jump to? your post title is off by two days… )
#HeuristicEvaluationsForFREE
April 16th, 2013 at 4:11 am
I’m a historian, we are into the past
April 16th, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Multiple bomb failures could point to fertilizer bombs, which are notorious for going bad if the mix is not perfect.
Interesting target, the marathon is quite an international event, participants and spectators from all over the world.
April 16th, 2013 at 3:54 pm
People using this attack to score cheap partisan political points right now in the media or on social network sites are supreme asshats
Sadly, the temptation to score “cheap partisan political points” is proving irresistable, not just to media and social networking site but to some current or retired elected officials.
April 16th, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Last I read there were only two devices, both detonated nearly simultaneously. Also there are unofficial reports of multiple severe injuries (severed legs) and people being wounded by ball bearings or BBs. So if all this is true, you have:
two devices going off in such a way that indicates skill in timing the detonations, the devices set to go off in a place and time to get a lot of people (somebody did some good research), the devices constructed in such a way as to broadcast metal fragments at a level that will insure many very bad wounds (skillfully constructed) and the event chosen to hit is one that is very ‘American’ and the hitting of which will get maximum publicity (that is a characteristic of the AQ types and imitators).
Whomever did this knew what they were about and was very talented or more likely, was well trained by people who know how to make bombs. Maybe it didn’t come out of Pakistan. One thing I think likely though, whoever or whomever did it, they probably are out of the country. Of course everything I say could be entirely wrong too.
April 16th, 2013 at 6:38 pm
The greatest pool of skilled bomb makers in the states exists in the military. There is no reason to assume foreign origins.
This could be a radicalized native. AQ’s modus is well known, hitting the the people coming to the aid of the victims of the first bomb is a well known tactic, used by conventional and unconventional forces the world.
over.
This looks like someone dropped a bag with the bomb in the middle of the crowd and walked off. Now that could have been on a timer, or it could have been triggered remotely.
If I was the feds I’d start checking ex military with bomb making experience, living in the Boston area.
I would say that the event is actually very international. People coming from all over the world to run it, the Boston marathon is one of the more famous. Now if you were a overseas terrorist, wouldn’t that be a good cover to get in/ get out of the country?
Still think its a homegrown, or someone or ones who has been here a long time. Possible with help from ex military.
April 16th, 2013 at 7:28 pm
Joey: Well maybe. But it is just oh so fashionable to look at those crazy vets instead of the obvious place where the last several attempted attacks have come from. We’ll see I guess.
April 16th, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Its a low budget local job from what I can see, even the choosing of the day Patriots Day/Marathon. My initial thoughts would be a radicalized Muslim ex soldier, but the more I can see coming out it sounds like those bombs were like black powder bombs, very low tech, someone with any training would have gone for more powerful explosive, be it homemade or otherwise. If it is black powder, then it would have been chosen for its can go wrong properties, rather than its explosive power.
April 16th, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Joey: The explosive may have been low order, but the effects were not. As suggested over at SWJ, this was constructed so as to be a sort of claymore mine. Very deadly, and requiring some thought if it wasn’t an accidental effect. An advantage of something like black powder (if that is what it was) is it can be homemade, leaving no trail to follow. So maybe a high explosive would not have been the best choice.
I don’t think Patriot’s Day had anything to do with it. Who outside of MA, ME and WI ever heard of it? The Boston Marathon was the target I think. Patriot’s Day was a coincidence.