Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Boston explosions: three dead, no arrests, no claims of responsibility

FBI search apartment block in nearby Revere and remove evidence from scene

Law enforcement agencies were scrambling on Tuesday to find out who carried out the Boston marathon blasts, which killed three people and injured more than 100 in an attack that caught US authorities by surprise.

FBI officials swooped on a residential building in Revere, eight miles north-east of Boston, late on Monday and removed a large bag from an apartment in the early hours of Tuesday morning. But in the immediate aftermath there are no arrests, no credible claims of responsibility and little information from police about who might have carried out the attack.

As the investigation continued, more eyewitness accounts emerged of the moment the blasts struck, just before 3pm local time on Monday, when most of the 23,000 runners had completed the course of the world's oldest continually run marathon.

An eight-year-old boy was among the dead. A nine-year-old girl, a seven-year-old boy, a 12-year-old and another child aged two were among the injured at Boston Children's Hospital.

Witnesses told of horrific injuries with a number of people suffering severe leg injuries. Graphic photographs circulated online showed one man who appeared to have lost both lower legs. Other images showed the blood-stained pavement beside the marathon finish line.

The investigation into the explosions, led by the FBI, appeared to be centred on a residential building in nearby Revere, early on Tuesday.

Authorities including FBI agents and local police descended on the 13-storey Ocean Shores Tower on Ocean Avenue in the neighborhood at around 11pm on Monday. Reports suggested an apartment on the fifth floor was being searched. A panel in the lobby showed the building's elevators remaining on the fifth floor for some time.

Police sporadically entered and left the building but would not answer questions. At around 2am a group of officials emerged from the building and walked swiftly toward vehicles in the forecourt. One man carried a large black plastic bag which he placed in the back of a grey saloon before driving off at speed. A sign that read: "Official FBI business" could be seen on the dashboard of the vehicle.

Massachusetts state police confirmed that a search warrant related to the investigation into the explosions was served in the suburb, but provided no further details.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, police officers had quizzed two male Saudi Arabian students in the lobby of the building. Speaking beforehand, one of the men told the Guardian that he was there to meet a friend who lived on the fifth floor. Police examined the men's passports and appeared to make telephone calls before escorting them into the elevator.

Much of downtown Boston remained cordoned off on Tuesday morning as police continued to search the area for clues. Officials had earlier appealed for video footage from the finishing line, hoping it would help shed light on the explosions.

Heavily armoured vehicles circulated around the city centre, while Boston's hospitals were protected by police armed with assault rifles.

Some 29 patients were treated at Massachusetts General Hospital, eight of them in a critical condition. Peter Fagenholz, a trauma surgeon at the hospital, said many of the seriously injured patients had suffered bone, soft tissue and vascular damage to their legs.

"We're seeing a lot of shrapnel injuries" Fagenholz told reporters outside the hospital adding that there had been "several" amputations.

"A number of patients will require repeat operations tomorrow and serial operations over the next couple of days," Fagenholz said.

Some news agencies had reported on Monday evening that a suspect in the explosions was under guard at a hospital in the city, but Boston police commissioner Edward Davis said the reports were "not true".

Witnesses used social media to document the explosions, with footage emerging of a "runner's-eye-view" of one of the blasts – apparently recorded by a participant in the race. The video was uploaded to YouTube by NekoAngel3Wolf and shows the person bearing the camera approaching the finishing line, only to be rocked back by the explosion.

"This is a video my mom recorded of the explosion," the description of the video read. "We are so lucky we got out of there when we did. My mom didn't finish the race but we are all safe and that's what matters. My heart goes out to victims."

Reuters said the devices used gunpowder as the explosive and were packed with ball bearings and other shrapnel to maximise injuries.

The news agency said the description came from a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information.

The two devices that caused the carnage had detonated without warning at 2.50pm ET on Tuesday, the Boston police commissioner Ed Davis told reporters.

Asked whether the city was under a terrorist attack, he replied: "We're not being definitive about this right now, but you can reach your own conclusions based on what happened."

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident. The Pakistani Taliban - which has previously threatened attacks in the US and claimed responsibility for a failed car-bombing in New York's Times Square - denied any involvement.

As many as two unexploded bombs were also found near the end of the 26.2-mile (42km) course as part of what appeared to be a well co-ordinated attack but they were safely disarmed, a senior US intelligence official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The impact of the explosions were felt elsewhere, with authorities implementing heightened security measures in New York and Washington DC.

In a White House briefing after the attack, President Obama cautioned against appropriating blame without full information.

"We still do not know who did this or why," he said. "And people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts." He referred to "any responsible individuals, any responsible groups."


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Matthew Weaver 16 Apr, 2013


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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/16/boston-marathon-explosions-investigation
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