Twin Bomb Explosions Shatter Boston Marathon Finish Line

[webfact]

RT @kingsthings: One thing can be said for sure about people who plant bombs - they are the ultimate cowards - the lowest of the low -vermin

[geriatrickid]

To clarify;

JFK library incident was an unrelated mechanical issue with equipment.

The Saudi Arabian being questioned was tackled by a bystander because the Saudi ran from the bomb blast. (Not unusual, as everyone in the area was running from the bomb blast.)

No evidence at this time to suggest the Saudi is implicated. Saudi was also injured by the explosion.

Now 3 dead, 125 injured with death toll expected to rise as many are missing limbs or sustained serious trauma due to shrapnel.

The higher injury head count for injuries from some news sources includes those with minor injuries.

Fortunately, authorities are showing restraint and waiting for some investigation and additional intelligence before offering opinions.

For those that want up to date info the primary Boston newspaper Boston Globe has continuous updates.

Edited April 16, 2013 by geriatrickid

[Scott]

I was watching CNN and the police have stated that they do not have a suspect--which seemed to be aimed at the rumor about a Saudi national.

One of the people who asked a questioned wanted to know if it was a false flag operation to take away more civil rights of Americans! Unbelievable.

[lannarebirth]

I was watching CNN and the police have stated that they do not have a suspect--which seemed to be aimed at the rumor about a Saudi national.

One of the people who asked a questioned wanted to know if it was a false flag operation to take away more civil rights of Americans! Unbelievable.

He's just saying what many many people are thinking. Unbelievable it wasn't censored out, I agree.

[F430murci]

I was watching CNN and the police have stated that they do not have a suspect--which seemed to be aimed at the rumor about a Saudi national.

One of the people who asked a questioned wanted to know if it was a false flag operation to take away more civil rights of Americans! Unbelievable.

They do say a person of interest is being guarded in hospital and a guy in black sweet shirt, black back pack dark skin, dark hair and foreign accent is being sought as he tried to enter secured area and was apparently seen in location of where bomb or bombs were left. Person of interest was supposedly covered in burns.

[Mosha]

I was watching CNN and the police have stated that they do not have a suspect--which seemed to be aimed at the rumor about a Saudi national.

One of the people who asked a questioned wanted to know if it was a false flag operation to take away more civil rights of Americans! Unbelievable.

Crap like that is already being posted by my right wing American friends

[retell]

is this what NK had in mind?

[canman]

Heard on BBC radio that explosive devices were also found at two of the main Boston hospitals. Who ever did this planned for maximum carnage

[bostonboy]

wow, is all i can say

it is Patriot Day in Boston but might as well call it Boston Day

it is such a "Boston" day with holiday exclusive to Boston, Red Sox always play, marathon with tons of parties

i think they did the bomb as late as they did because that is when things get a little lax and people are going/coming from all different directions

thank god because if it was 2-3 hours before there would have been many more casualties

now we just wait to hear what really went down

my brother-in-law was top cop in Mass and now Chief of Police of University near the bombing

probably won't talk to him until tomorrow but I am sure he will have some knowledge

unreal

[Morden]

There were many foreign flags flying so I assume that this was an international and, therefore, a high profile event. That could explain why it was targeted - wide international publicity.

It's far too early to speculate on who was behind the bombings and the authorities are, wisely, avoiding such speculation. The tv channels are not being so cautious.

Britons will sympathise with the victims and families. They had twenty years of horrors like this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-21803249

Then there was 7/7/2005.

[up-country_sinclair]

Lots of rumor and speculation at this point. Facts will come out in the days, weeks and months to come.

RIP to those who died, and best wishes for a speedy recovery to those injured.

[chooka]

I was watching CNN and the police have stated that they do not have a suspect--which seemed to be aimed at the rumor about a Saudi national.

One of the people who asked a questioned wanted to know if it was a false flag operation to take away more civil rights of Americans! Unbelievable.

A foriegn National on a student visa is in hospital with burns and is being gaurded by the FBI and is apparently a suspect.

[Mosha]

BBC says they are pulling up short of calling it a terrorist attack. If you plant bombs to create mayhem and terrorise people. You are a terrorist.

[RickBradford]

Yes, well, the BBC also did not refer to the perpetrators of the 2005 London bus and Underground bombings as 'terrorists'

The BBC's guidelines state that its credibility is undermined by the "careless use of words which carry emotional or value judgments".

Consequently, "the word 'terrorist' itself can be a barrier rather than an aid to understanding" and its use should be "avoided", the guidelines say.

The US authorities have calling the Boston bombings "a criminal attack, and a potential terrorist incident."

If this isn't terrorism, then what is?

Edited April 16, 2013 by RickBradford

[Scott]

When an event is labeled as terrorism by the gov't, there are implications for insurance coverage as well as jurisdictional issues.

For the majority of average people, this is terrorism.

[Ulysses G.]

The White House has already admitted that it is terrorism, but the president is holding off using the term publicly until the investigation is more advanced.

[Locationthailand]

Latest reports say surveillance footage shows a number of dark skinned people (?) with back packs trying to get into secured areas as well as more unexploded devices also being disarmed by bomb squads. One of the 'dark skinned' people are under police custody having been injured in the blast.

In reality, ball bearing bombs are designed to maim and kill to maximum affect. This is simply a multiple attack and therefore is calculated, with a number of participants, not a random one off nut case but a co-ordinated attack so the US needs to call it what it is - an act of terrorism. And on Patriots Day - make your own conclusions.

[Scott]

The White House has already admitted that it is terrorism, but the president is holding off using the term publicly until the investigation is more advanced.

This is from an earlier news post in this thread:

A senior White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said later that "any event with multiple explosive devices -- as this appears to be -- is clearly an act of terror."

I think the key words here are 'condition of anonymity'.

[webfact]

BOSTON MARATHON EXPLOSIONS
Death toll three in marathon blasts, Obama vows justice
Anne Walters and Gretel Johnston
Boston/Washington

BOSTON: -- At least three people were confirmed dead and more than 100 were injured in two powerful explosions Monday near the finish line of the celebrated Boston Marathon while the race was still in progress.

The FBI took charge of the investigation, classifying it initially as a criminal investigation, but Richard DesLauriers, the agent in charge of the FBI in Boston, said it was a "potential terrorism investigation."

President Barack Obama vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. Obama stopped short of calling the incident a terrorist attack, but a White House official later said it was "clearly an act of terror."

There were no suspects in custody. DesLauriers encouraged people in Boston "to have a heightened sense of security" and to call a special tip line with any information they may have. He said no piece of information or detail was too small.

Security was increased at a number of other large US cities, including New York and Washington. US aviation authorities briefly instituted a restricted flying zone over Boston.

Boston police commissioner Ed Davis confirmed the higher death toll at a late news conference. The number of injured stood at more than 100, and Davis said many of the victims suffered "serious, serious" injuries.

CNN reported 141 people were injured and that at least 10 limbs were amputated. The bomb scattered ball bearings, which at high speed cause extreme lower limb injuries, CNN said.

There were "simultaneous explosions" at 2:50 pm (1850 GMT) about 50 to 100 metres apart, forcing officials to divert the marathon and clear the area near the finish line where thousands of spectators were watching the end of the race.

Davis declined to comment on reports that as many as five other explosive devices had been planted, but didn’t explode.

The winners - Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa in the mens’ race and Rita Jeptoo of Kenya in the women’s - had already crossed the finish line when the explosions occurred, but thousands of other runners were still on the course. The race was later stopped as police and fire crews swept the area for possible other explosive devices, authorities said.

About 26,000 runners participated in this year’s Boston Marathon, an annual tradition in the Massachusetts city held on Patriot’s Day, a public holiday. First run in 1897, it is the world’s oldest city marathon and ordinarily is a joyous springtime event.

Television images after the explosion showed some runners falling to the ground when the bombs went off and white smoke rising from an area where spectators were gathered. Police and emergency responders were seen running to evacuate victims and tear down security barriers to reach the injured.

Junye Li, 18, had been watching the race nearby but had entered a bank before the explosions. She said she heard two explosions, saw the windows shake and later saw many people injured.

"When we left the bank we saw two policemen holding a woman, the woman’s head was all covered in blood," she said at scene. "We heard a child screaming, everybody screaming, everybody running."

Obama said he had been briefed by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security and said the government would devote its "full resources" to the investigation and to aiding the victims.

"We still do not know who did this or why, and people shouldn’t jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. But make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this and we will find out who did this; we’ll find out why they did this," Obama said at the White House. "Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel thefull weight of justice."

The unidentified White House official said in a statement that the evidence pointed to a terrorist attack, even as it remained unclear who was behind the bombings.

"Any event with multiple explosive devices - as this appears to be - is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror," the official said.

"However, we don’t yet know who carried out this attack," the statement continued. "A thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic."

Witnesses told US media they had seen many bloody injuries. Local media said some of the injured had suffered severed limbs.

"We heard a big boom like a cannon ... and could see a big plume of smoke," one witness told the Cape Cod Times. "We smelled gunpowder."

Observers described an chaotic scene and photographs showed debris and blood smeared across the sidewalk.

"My ears were ringing, my head’s ringing," Globe photographer David Ryan told the newspaper. "Everyone was running like hell."

A third incident at John F Kennedy Library in downtown Boston was "fire related" and no longer appeared tied to the explosions, police later said. Davis had said earlier at the press conference it was being treated as part of the same investigation.

Davis did not provide casualty figures, but police had earlier spoken of two killed and 23 injured. The Boston Globe newspaper later reported more than 100 people hurt.

Other major cities in the eastern US, including New York and Washington, were placed on a heightened security alert after the explosions. Aviation authorities briefly instituted a restricted flying zone over Boston.

Officials told the thousands of runners and spectators to return home or to their hotels and not to gather in crowds.

Bags that had been dropped by fleeing runners and spectators were being investigated as suspicious packages, Davis added. Policed were "methodically" going through the area to check for any suspicious packages, he said.

Condolences and expressions of shock had begun to flow in from around the world.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the violence was "all the more appalling for taking place at an event renowned for bringing people together from around the world in a spirit of sportsmanship and harmony."

"I would like to express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to wish those wounded a speedy recovery," he said.


-- The Nation 2013-04-16

[Mosha]

I hope it's not signs of something wider. My nephew is doing the London Marathon this weekend

[maidu]

Despicable. The Boston Marathon is one of the great all-inclusive events anywhere.

[Tywais]

A tasteless post removed. Nothing funny about this topic.

[jamhar]

Runner knocked down by blast, finishes race

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/04/15/177393410/boston-blast-man-knocked-over-by-explosion-got-up-finished-race?ft=1&f=1001

Who ever is responsible.

Hide or run

It wont make a difference.

You will be hunted down.

[SteeleJoe]

If you plant bombs to create mayhem and terrorise people. You are a terrorist.

First of all, we don't know that the motive was "to create mayhem and terrorise people" - though that would of course be an inevitable and perhaps welcome byproduct - rather than just to harm people for some other sick reason.

Though there isn't - and can't be - one universally accepted definition of "terrorism", those accepted widely include more than that (apolitical goal, in my opinion, chief among them); not everyone who sets out to kill and injure is a terrorist.

I am not for a second dismissing the idea that this will be found to be a terrorist attack - like most, I'm sure it will be. I just think it's important to not oversimplify and I also feel that since 2001, "terrorist/terrorism" is bandied about far too easily and and as a result has been politicized by all sides. Not at all, saying that your post is doing that but on principle I tend to speak up on this...

Edited April 16, 2013 by SteeleJoe

[nong38]

Various news reports saying the JFK library was fire related - not a blast.

Some news sources are saying the report of a Saudi person in custody is false.

And yes the 'B' word might be a bit premature - that was just one of the first reports I could post. All the news sources I've seen agree that it is 'twin blasts'.

I'm sure more accurate information will come in time

The Daily Mail in the UK is saying that a Saudi national is being held in connection with the explosions, 3 of which failed to go off. We must be grateful that the others did not go off, but horrible and devasting for those innocent people caught up in it.

[OZEMADE]

Various news reports saying the JFK library was fire related - not a blast.

Some news sources are saying the report of a Saudi person in custody is false.

And yes the 'B' word might be a bit premature - that was just one of the first reports I could post. All the news sources I've seen agree that it is 'twin blasts'.

I'm sure more accurate information will come in time

The Daily Mail in the UK is saying that a Saudi national is being held in connection with the explosions, 3 of which failed to go off. We must be grateful that the others did not go off, but horrible and devasting for those innocent people caught up in it.

According to the FBI and Chief of Boston Police press conference 10 minutes ago, no one is being held for questioning in connection with the explosions.

[OZEMADE]

Explosions hit Boston marathon
Yahoo!7 and agencies Updated April 16, 2013, 12:00 pm
Boston police have confirmed at least three people are dead and more than 132 are gravely injured after two explosions at the finish line of the world's most popular marathon on Boston. Follow our live coverage here.
LARGE LINK BELOW FOR FULL STORY.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/...ston-marathon/

[Mosha]

One of the 3 dead, is an 8 year old. I hope the end was quick.

[TomTao]

A terrible cowardly attack on an unsuspecting crowd, condolences to the families of the dead and a speedy recovery for the injured. I hope they catch the perpetrators and hand them over to the victim's families.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Chicog]

So far then, we can choose from:

( a ) Muslim terror attack by a swarthy Saudi Arabian

( b ) Right Wing Gun nuts

( c ) US Government false flag operation (Alex Jones favourite phrase)

( d ) North Korea

Who needs the FBI I ask you?

Apart from the deaths, there were a number of traumatic amputations at the scene caused by the blast, according to local EMS.

My thoughts are with the poor racegoers and runners hurt or killed by this vicious and cowardly act.

It's a blessing that there was immediate first aid on hand for those injured thanks to the set up for the race.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Chicog