Two bombs ripped through the crowds near the finish line of the Boston Marathon this afternoon, killing three spectators, injuring more than 130 people, and leaving the nation on edge as word of the explosions –and confused reports of additional devices–flared across television and social media.The first explosion occurred at 2:50 PM ET, according to the Boston Police, when an unidentified device detonated on the north side of Boylston Street approximately fifty feet from the marathon’s finish line. A second explosion went off about ten seconds later less than 100 yards up the route. Police said three people had been killed. Local hospitals reported that 134 people had been brought in for treatment, according to the Associated Press. One of the dead was an 8-year-old boy, law enforcement officials told the Boston Globe.CNN reported that a number of the injured had suffered leg wounds, suggesting a low blast, and that doctors were removing ball bearings from some victims, suggesting that the bombs were designed to spread shrapnel.Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis told reporters at an afternoon press conference that no additional bombs had been found along the race route, but more recent reports –including a CBS news story citing Massachusetts congressman and Homeland Security committee member Bill Keating as a source — have continued to assert that other bombs were found undetonated along the marathon route, including one at a hotel on Copley Square.A fire which occurred at the JFK Library in South Boston about an hour after the attacks appeared to be unrelated to the bombings, though the Boston Police said it was still investigating.The identity and motivation of the bomber or bombers is still unknown, but local CBS affiliate WBZ reported that a suspect was being questioned, and that authorities have security video showing a male suspect carrying multiple backpacks, and dropping one at the site of the explosion.Around 8 p.m., law enforcement authorities issued a bulletin saying they were on the lookout for a dark-skinned male with a black backpack who had been trying to gain access to a restricted area shortly before the blasts.Later in the evening, authorities said that the FBI had taken over the investigation.In a short address from the White House, President Barack Obama pledged “every single federal resource necessary†to help the people of Boston, and said that while the motive and identity of the bomber or bombers is still unknown, “we will find out who did this and we will hold them responsible.â€The blasts occurred about two hours after the marathon’s winners crossed the finish line at Copley Square, while the area was still packed with racers and spectators; according to Runners World magazine, of the 23,326 runners who started only 17,584 crossed the line. Police cleared the area immediately as emergency service workers flooded in to care for the wounded. Runners were rerouted away from the area, hotels nearby were locked down, and occupants barred from leaving.Law enforcement officials in Massachusetts and across the country scrambled to increase security against potential follow-up attacks. The Associated Press reported that cellphone service was temporarily shut down in Boston to prevent remote detonations of more devices, however cellular later said that was not the case. Parts of Boston’s subway system and several bridges over the Charles river were closed to the public; and the Federal Aviation Administration placed a temporary flight restriction on Boston’s Logan airport. The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Mass., located approximately 45 miles south of the city, began performing additional security checks.The New York Police Department announced via Facebook that it is stepping up security at hotels and other prominent locations in the city through deployment of critical response vehicles (CRVs); as New Yorkers began their evening commute home, tourist hotspots like Times Square were packed with police cruisers. In Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House was closed to pedestrians.Christopher Falkenberg, president at Insite Security Inc. and former Special Agent of the United States Secret Service, cautions that it will take some time to know what had happened in Boston, but suggested that judging from photos and video the devices were small, and possibly home-made. “It doesn’t seem as though these were high explosives,†he said.Store windows behind the scene of the first blast appeared to be undamaged, further suggesting the bombs were not powerful.Source: Forbes.com
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As of posting 3 confirmed deaths and 130 injured.
