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At least three people were killed and more than 140 wounded in two large explosions at the Boston Marathon. An eight-year-old boy is among the dead. The blasts took place just feet away from the finish line as hundreds of runners were competing in the race. The plumes of smoke and images of bloodied victims running down streets also triggered haunting memories of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Fifty-foot plumes of smoke were sent into the air. The bombings came on a state holiday that recalls the first battles of the American Revolution and brings Bostonians together for their world-famous marathon and an early Red Sox game at Fenway Park. However, the Boston attack was less sophisticated than 9/11 or the wave of bombings that killed hundreds on London's subways and Madrid's rail system over the past decade.
Fifty-foot plumes of smoke were sent into the air. The bombings came on a state holiday that recalls the first battles of the American Revolution and brings Bostonians together for their world-famous marathon and an early Red Sox game at Fenway Park. However, the Boston attack was less sophisticated than 9/11 or the wave of bombings that killed hundreds on London's subways and Madrid's rail system over the past decade.
Here are 10 big developments in this story
1) Investigators don't know who was behind the attack, or whether it was spawned domestically or from afar. But federal authorities are classifying it as an act of terrorism. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis has asked the people to stay home and for those who are at hotels in the area to stay in their rooms.
2) According to CBS News, 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.
3) Police said the bombs had been placed in trash cans, less than 100 yards apart. Unconfirmed reports said the explosions were triggered by remote control.
4) News reports in Boston said a surveillance photo showed a man with two backpacks at the scene shortly before the explosions. Davis said that there were no suspects but that the police were talking to some people.
5) President Barack Obama said he ordered the "full resources" of the federal government to respond to the Boston bombing, and that he also called for increased security around the United States as necessary.
6) Google's Crisis Response team created a "Person Finder" tool to help marathon runners, their families and friends, and spectactors keep track of each other and quickly share information about people they know, Google spokeswoman Susan Cadrecha said. The web address is http://google.org/personfinder/2013-boston-explosions
7) Some government analysts leaned toward the theory that the attack was the work of home-grown radicals inspired by Al-Qaeda, as opposed to anti-government extremists. They based that hunch in part on the use of multiple bombs in a public place, which has been a signature of Al- Qaeda strike.
8) The fatal explosions have hints of a right-wing terrorist attack rather than Al-Qaeda-inspired extremism, according to one of the world's leading experts on counter-terrorism. Richard Barrett, the former United Nations co-ordinator for the Al-Qaeda and Taliban monitoring team, said it was too early to say who was to blame for the marathon blasts. But Barrett, who has served with MI5, MI6 and the Foreign Office, said the timing of the attack on Patriots' Day and the relatively small size of the devices suggested the work of a domestic extremist, reports The Independent.
9) Some 27,000 runners took part in the 26.2-mile race, one of the world's premier marathons and one of Boston's biggest annual events. According to BuzzFeed, 17,584 finished before it was cancelled at 2:57p.m
10) Twitter and the Internet overflowed with rumours in the aftermath of the blast, some of which were later debunked. Law enforcement and city officials disputed published reports that investigators had discovered one or more bombs that had failed to explode. People rushed to Twitter for real-time information on fatalities and injuries. It was the first to air the news of the explosions at the finish line (10 minutes ahead of cable news) and to break the news of multiple explosions and mass casualties as users posted firsthand accounts and photographs, according to LA Times.
