Explosion at Boston Marathon *NSFW IMAGES*

[theyarecomingforyou]

Obama's latest statement:

"Any time bombs are used to target civilians it is an act of terror. What we don?t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack, or why, or whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization ? foreign or domestic - or was the act of a malevolent individual."

I'm quite surprised to see such a statement being made, as by that definition the US drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia would also be acts of terror.

I might be wrong but were you not complaining about lax security in first few pages of the thread?

No. I stated that securing such a large area would be very difficult due to the amount of foot traffic. Even so, improved security does not have to mean an invasion of civil liberties.

[chrisj1968]

the official narrative is unraveling

Here are some of the facts we know so far

1) Bomb-sniffing dogs were present at the start of the race and the finish line, even before bombs went off.

2) The reported arrest of a ?Saudi national? has now been retracted. Apparently that was a mistake published by the NY Post.

3) Instead, the mainstream media is pushing a new narrative that blames ?right-wing extremists? for the bombing, even without a shred of evidence to back that up.

4) It is impossible for a bomb squad to have located, analyzed, rigged and detonated the third bomb in under an hour, especially when it was located one mile away, at the Kennedy Presidential Library.

[HawkMan]

they are not used to "target" civilians, they are used to target military targets. so no, not by that definition.

[theyarecomingforyou]

they are not used to "target" civilians, they are used to target military targets. so no, not by that definition.

They are used to target vehicles with civilians inside, meaning that civilians are knowingly targeted even if the primary target is a suspected terrorist. Plus they target rescue workers. It just seems like poor judgement to issue a domestic statement that has unintended consequences for foreign policy.

[presence06]

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2013/04/16/gop_rep_peter_king_on_boston_bombing_i_do_think_we_need_more_cameras_.html

"We need more cameras"... with the addition of drones, who needs camera's?

[Eric Veteran]

[Thread cleaned]

Again... Please stick to the news topic.

[articuno1au]

the official narrative is unraveling

Here are some of the facts we know so far

1) Bomb-sniffing dogs were present at the start of the race and the finish line, even before bombs went off.

2) The reported arrest of a ?Saudi national? has now been retracted. Apparently that was a mistake published by the NY Post.

3) Instead, the mainstream media is pushing a new narrative that blames ?right-wing extremists? for the bombing, even without a shred of evidence to back that up.

4) It is impossible for a bomb squad to have located, analyzed, rigged and detonated the third bomb in under an hour, especially when it was located one mile away, at the Kennedy Presidential Library.

"Facts"..

1. That's standard for any sporting event. There are always bomb sniffing dogs assigned to sporting events and public gathers, to avoid this exact occurrence..

2. He's in hospital and considered a person of interest. That's not the same as being arrested. I'd also like to point out that the police guarding him are as likely to be for his protection as to stop him getting away.

3. There's nothing to suggest either direction. The media tend to push whatever will get them the most views. This isn't noteworthy at all.

4. You are right, that would be because it's a fire. If you have some kind of proof to show that this isn't the case, feel free to show the world. Until then, everyone involved seems to think it was a fire.

For the record, calling something a fact does not a fact make. What you have there are assertions wrapped in suggestion.. Adding on little tidbits to the statements grossly changed their meaning and it's thoroughly disingenuous

[neufuse Veteran]

"Facts"..

1. That's standard for any sporting event. There are always bomb sniffing dogs assigned to sporting events and public gathers, to avoid this exact occurrence..

Yes, and I will say it again, last year at the Pittsburgh Marathon, there was bomb dogs, no bombs went off... most NFL games have dogs at them also, it's a common occurrence... and there will be dogs at the Pittsburgh Marathon next month again, not just because of this, but because its standard protocol now days.... for a guy to say they never saw them before, doesn't mean they were not there....

[theyarecomingforyou]

Yes, and I will say it again, last year at the Pittsburgh Marathon, there was bomb dogs, no bombs went off... most NFL games have dogs at them also, it's a common occurrence...

Exactly. It would be suspicious if they weren't there. If it was really a conspiracy why would they draw attention to the plan? It simply doesn't make any sense.

[BajiRav]

Yes, and I will say it again, last year at the Pittsburgh Marathon, there was bomb dogs, no bombs went off... most NFL games have dogs at them also, it's a common occurrence... and there will be dogs at the Pittsburgh Marathon next month again, not just because of this, but because its standard protocol now days.... for a guy to say they never saw them before, doesn't mean they were not there....

To top it off: It was either Boston Police or City of Boston who tweeted yesterday that there were two bomb sweeps carried out before the event as standard procedure for any event of this size. The worst thing after tragedies like this are the nut jobs with conspiracies.

[presence06]

To top it off: It was either Boston Police or City of Boston who tweeted yesterday that there were two bomb sweeps carried out before the event as standard procedure for any event of this size. The worst thing after tragedies like this are the nut jobs with conspiracies.

MN Twins, send bomb sniffers around before each game as well. This person or persons who set it up must have known when the sweeps were done. Maybe the timing of sweeps needs to change? Just sounds like it was known that it had been done and it wouldn't be detected.

[mikewilk999]

has anyone noticed the guy on the roof

[articuno1au]

has anyone noticed the guy on the roof

Yes, we've seen it a dozen times now >.<

He's apparently event security.

[BajiRav]

has anyone noticed the guy on the roof

Good morning.

[dead.cell]

Sucks to be someone of middle-eastern descent when things like this happen. People hurting look for someone to blame, and after 9/11, it's easy to see how someone might get pointed out if only for the color of their skin.

Anyway, conspiracy theorists are going wild. Meanwhile, 4chan comes up with this:

http://i.imgur.com/icyyRLK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6Zw6hsz.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8533/8653825528_0960909edd_o.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0IsgV60.jpg

Stupid as it may look, it's interesting seeing people try to pick apart something/anything to find out who's responsible.

[presence06]

2nd Death ID'd http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/04/16/medford-native-killed-in-boston-marathon-bombings/

BOSTON (AP) ? A 29-year-old restaurant manager has been identified as one of three people killed in the bombing at the Boston Marathon.

Her father says Krystle Campbell, of Medford, Mass., had gone with her best friend to take a picture of the friend?s boyfriend crossing the finish line on Monday afternoon.

[presence06]

Sucks to be someone of middle-eastern descent when things like this happen. People hurting look for someone to blame, and after 9/11, it's easy to see how someone might get pointed out if only for the color of their skin.

Anyway, conspiracy theorists are going wild. Meanwhile, 4chan comes up with this:

http://i.imgur.com/icyyRLK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6Zw6hsz.jpg

http://farm9.staticf...960909edd_o.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0IsgV60.jpg

Stupid as it may look, it's interesting seeing people try to pick apart something/anything to find out who's responsible.

those are some interesting photos. I like the High Res of the finish line.

[neufuse Veteran]

I don't get what's wrong in those photos? I don't see anything out of the ordinary

[HawkMan]

Sucks to be someone of middle-eastern descent when things like this happen. People hurting look for someone to blame, and after 9/11, it's easy to see how someone might get pointed out if only for the color of their skin.

Anyway, conspiracy theorists are going wild. Meanwhile, 4chan comes up with this:

http://i.imgur.com/icyyRLK.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/6Zw6hsz.jpg

http://farm9.staticf...960909edd_o.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/0IsgV60.jpg

Stupid as it may look, it's interesting seeing people try to pick apart something/anything to find out who's responsible.

what exactly are they suppose to show with the first pic...

[BajiRav]

I don't get what's wrong in those photos? I don't see anything out of the ordinary

what exactly are they suppose to show with the first pic...

It shows that one white guy with a backpack...and then his backpack after the blast....at least that's what I thought. The high-res pic shows him in the crowd.

[Tuishimi]

Doctors at four of Boston?s major hospitals said today that objects appeared to have been intentionally placed into the Boston Marathon bombs to inflict shrapnel wounds on the victims, underscoring the viciousness of an attack that killed three people and injured 176 others, including 17 who are still in critical condition.

<p>

Also today, the name of a second person who died in the blast was identified. Krystle Campbell, 29, of Arlington was killed, her grandmother said. Eight-year-old Martin William Richard of Dorchester was the first victim identified.

The metal fragments found in Marathongoers ? 20, 30, or more pieces in some people ? are too uniform, Dr. George Velmahos, trauma chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, said during a morning press conference. They look like pellets or nails, something meant to do harm.

?My opinion is that most of them were in the bomb,? Velmahos said. ?I think it?s unlikely they would be so consistent if they were pulled out from the environment.?

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Dr. Ron Walls, an emergency physician from Brigham and Woman?s Hospital, also said items were removed from several patients that ?clearly were designed to be projectiles that were built into the device.? He described the items as small ball bearings and nails.

Similar comments were also made by doctors at Boston Children?s Hospital and Boston Medical Center.

A federal investigator who responded to the bombings also said authorities have recovered shrapnel that appears to be ball bearings or BBs.

?Anything can cause shrapnel, even a soda can nearby, but it appears this was prepared shrapnel,?? said the investigator, who insisted on anonymity because he wasn?t authorized to discuss the investigation.

?There appears to be beyond the normal stuff. It looks like the device was prepared with it.? He said agents were collecting evidence and taking it to the Hynes Convention Center.

A person briefed on the investigation said the two bombs were hidden inside two black bags, one at each location, that were packed with some short of shrapnel.

The revelations about the shrapnel came as law enforcement officials renewed their pleas this morning to the public to provide them with video and photographic evidence that could provide clues in the two bombings 12 seconds apart at the Boston Marathon finish line shortly before 3 p.m. Monday.

?I would encourage you to bring forward anything. You might not think it?s significant, but it might have some value to this investigation,? said Colonel Timothy Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.

Officials at a news conference at the Westin Copley Place hotel pledged to bring justice to whoever detonated the bombs.

?This will be a worldwide investigation. We will go to the ends of the earth to find the subject or subjects responsible for this despicable crime,? said Richard DesLauriers, the special agent in charge of the Boston FBI office.

President Obama, speaking to reporters at the White House this morning, called the attacks a ?heinous and cowardly act? and said that the FBI was investigating it as an act of terrorism.?

?We will find whoever harmed our citizens and we will bring them to justice,? he said.

He lauded the stories of first responders and ordinary people racing to people?s aid with ?heroism, and kindness, and generosity, and love.?

?The American people refuse to be terrorized,? he said. ?If you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that?s it ? selflessly, compassionately, unafraid.?

A host of Massachusetts law enforcement officials and political leaders, including the mayor, the governor, and the state?s two US senators, appeared at the Westin Copley Place news conference. Officials there emphasized that, contrary to rumors and reports on Monday, no other explosive devices had been found on Monday. DesLauriers also said ?there are no known additional threats.?

But the officials also said that a major investigation was underway, with local and state authorities getting the full backing of the federal government, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

They asked people for their cooperation as investigators fan out over the area, interviewing witnesses, and they asked for the public?s patience as security is stepped up and experts process the expansive crime scene in the Copley Square area, where the blasts occurred.

?We want people to come and go. We want you to live your life,? said Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis. But at the same time, he said, ?We want you to be vigilant ... give us a little room in the Copley Square area.?

He said the Copley Square area was ?the most complex crime scene in the history of the department.? He said the crime scene area was 15 blocks on Monday but had been reduced to 12 blocks today and ?we will continue to collapse the crime scene.? But he expected that the scene would be closed off for ?for another two days anyway.?

In resonse to a reporter?s question, he said that there had been two sweeps of the marathon route by bomb technicians before the blast, but he noted that there is open access to the area.

DesLauriers of the FBI, whose agency is leading the probe, released few details on what investigators have learned so far about the blasts and what they have learned from witnesses. ?We are interviewing a variety of witnesses right now in a variety of locations,? he said.

He had no comments on the contents of the bombs.

Officials at the news conference also thanked the police, firefighters, emergency medical workers, volunteers, and doctors and nurses who aided people.

DesLauriers commended the public for its assistance so far, saying authorities had received ?voluminous tips.?

?Assistance from the public remains critical,? he said.

Davis asked the public to send authorities any photos or video from around the time of the blast, particularly in the area and particularly just before and after the bombs exploded. ?Those are going to be critical,? he said.

At South Station this morning, heightened security was in full force. Amtrak passengers were met by police with a bomb-sniffing dog who strolled alongside passengers. Baggage was swabbed by police and put through an explosives-detecting scanner before passengers were allowed to board. National Guardsmen were on the Red Line platform and MBTA Transit Police toted large weapons.

Overnight, a wave of law enforcement officials swarmed a home in Revere, looking at what the Revere Fire Department described as a ?person of interest,?? but no arrests were reported this morning and DesLauriers had no comment at the news conference on whether that had led to progress in the investigation.

No arrests have been reported.

Scott Allen, Brian Ballou, Andrew Ryan, Steven A. Rosenberg, Akilah Johnson of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Evan Allen contributed to this report. John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JREbosglobe.

[HawkMan]

Except it doesn't. there's no indication in those pictures he dropped a backpack, and there's no remains that look like a blue backpack...

[xendrome]

It shows that one white guy with a backpack...and then his backpack after the blast....at least that's what I thought. The high-res pic shows him in the crowd.

The highres one shows the timer at 2 hours and 35 minutes... which is what.. an hour and 30 minutes before the blasts... so I don't think that shows/proves anything

[presence06]

in both "before and after" he's got a blue backpack on yet..

[BajiRav]

Except it doesn't. there's no indication in those pictures he dropped a backpack, and there's no remains that look like a blue backpack...

The highres one shows the timer at 2 hours and 35 minutes... which is what.. an hour and 30 minutes before the blasts... so I don't think that shows/proves anything

I am as puzzled as you as to what is the purpose of singling him out in the crowd. His backpack looks generic and if I were out yesterday with my camera kit, I wouldn't look much different.