Boston Marathon Bomb Attack?!?!?

[Gob]

WASHINGTON — A letter sent to a Mississippi senator tested positive for the poison ricin, federal authorities revealed Tuesday, adding to security concerns in the Capitol after the Boston Marathon bombing.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, confirmed that an envelope addressed to Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, a Republican, had been tested twice for ricin in a mail facility away from the Capitol with positive results both times. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was briefing senators on the Boston attack when she told them about the ricin.

The letter was postmarked in Memphis and had no suspicious markings or return address, the office of the Senate sergeant-at-arms reported.

A federal official said the letter had been sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s laboratories in Quantico, Va., for further examination because field tests for ricin can be unreliable.

Ricin can be fatal if ingested or inhaled. In 2004, Senate offices were closed for days after the poison was found in the mailroom of Senator Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, who was the majority leader then. And detection of ricin carried echoes of the anthrax attack on the Senate just days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Senator Claire McCaskill, Democrat of Missouri, told reporters after the Napolitano briefing that the letter had come from someone who frequently writes lawmakers. She said the person had been identified, but she declined to divulge the name.

Senator Jeff Flake, Republican of Arizona, said: “Obviously, I’m concerned. It’s not just members concerned. It rarely gets to a member before it goes through a lot of staff, and that’s a big concern, obviously, for all of us. We’re very anxious to get more details.”

As a precaution, Senate post offices on Capitol Hill were shut down and will most likely remain closed for the rest of the week. Senators were told that there was no evidence of contamination inside the Capitol or on the grounds, but investigators were still looking into whether any similar envelopes had been sent to anyone in the House.

As Senator Angus King left Ms. Napolitano’s briefing, he said, “It’s now been confirmed that ricin was found in an envelope at the screening facility, which is off-site, not here at the Capitol.”

“I don’t have any information that it’s in any way connected with what happened in Boston,” Mr. King, an independent from Maine, said. “It may just be an unfortunate coincidence.”

[dales]

It's the innocents who are slaughtered....

[RayThom]

... it was the best of times.

There are quite a few repeat images in this gallery but you'll have a fairly good idea what went on at the marathon if you hang in for all of them. We don't abandon the helpless in dire need. The poor guy with his legs blown off is dramatic and painful. I hope he survives.

May justice be swift -- and merciless -- on those who perpetrated such a heinous act of carnage.

WARNING: This photo gallery contains graphic images.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/1 ... 87332.html

[Lord Jim]

Well, we've learned a few things...

The bombs, while not C-4 or plastique, (which would be very difficult to obtain in this country post 9/11 without creating a trail back to the source) were also not simple pipe bombs...

They were "pressure cooker" bombs (pretty much identical to the bomb that failed to go off in Times Square a couple of years ago; that was tied back to a terrorist group in Pakistan....a group that has publicly said they had nothing to do with this...maybe they're telling the truth, or maybe they just want to avoid having a flock of missile armed drones descend upon them...)

Until the press conference this afternoon, I had thought that the evidence was starting to point more to a "lone wolf" regardless of his motivation....

Once it was known that there were only two explosive devices, going off about a minute apart 100 feet away from each other, and the devices were being described as "crude" it became easy to imagine a single perp, dropping off one pipe bomb in a trash can with a simple 30 second fuse, then walking on to the next target and dropping that off...and then making his getaway in the confusion....

But these bombs weighed 20 pounds a piece, and it's unlikely that one person could have walked around casually with 40 pounds of bomb on them and released them separately and set them off that way...

The police didn’t canvas the area to insure all the trash cans were empty before the start of the race?

The police ran two sweeps; once the night before, and again an hour before the race started...

(One of the "smart" things from the attacker(s) point of view about this was to set off the bombs two hours into the finish of the race; after the serious professional runners had finished, and security was likely to be more lax...)

[Grim Reaper]

One advantage nowadays is the large proliferation of cell phones with cameras. The FBI is hoping to find any pictures of the perpetrators taken by people in the area.

[Crackpot]

Jim those bomb designs are widely available the timer mechanisms were rather "crude" and 20 pounds in a backpack is nothing. On top of that carrying one bag when wearing another wouldn't look all that odd.

[Jarlaxle]

They were DEFINITELY not in trash barrels. And almost everyone there had a backpack or gym bag.

[Guinevere]

1. Timing. The bombs went off within 30 minutes of when most of the athletes running finished the race -- max time for spectators to be at the finish line, at just under the 4 hour mark of the race (BTW, a sub-4 hour marathon on this course isn't elite but it sure isn't shabby and it is indeed "serious."). There were 26K+ registered runners (who either qualified or who ran for charity) and at least another 10K bandits, in the great Boston tradition. Over 4,000 registered runners were not allowed to finish. There is a great tradition in running that the fast folks hang around to cheer on and support the slower folks (this, in fact, is how my Swede and I met -- he is almost fast, I am very very slow). Plus, at Boston many post-race meeting places are the plethora of restaurants and bars in the area. So don't think the crowds has significantly thinned or lessened by the time the bombs exploded -- the heart of this race isn't the elite finish, its the scores of friends and family crossing the line, and the people cheering for them.

2. Security was not "lax." There have never been metal detectors at the Marathon. There are barricades to manage the runners, medical tents, and other infrastructure, but this is good old fashioned eyes up security. There are police everywhere (and thank goodness for that, the high police presence and the number of medical personnel in the area volunteering and/or racing (several hospitals do big charity drives as part of the race) clearly saved lives). The last check of the area was an hour before the elites finished, when spectators are just beginning to mill around the finish line.

3. This area is likely one of the most video-taped and photgraphed in Boston, especially on marathon day. There will be piles of security video, spectator video, and photos to comb through. The police have been asking for all of that since Monday evening. Yesterday I spoke to a Police Chief client -- some of his force has been seconded to the Boston PD to help with security and investigation, and its all hands on deck for local, state, and feds. He explained to me how skilled the experts are in reviewing photos and film, and he thinks there will be more information forthcoming on an ID sooner rather than later. Only time will tell of course, but it would be pretty amazing if the perpetrator wasn't caught on video or still shots at some point during the day.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Thanks for the info Guin.
My heart goes out to the victims and the people of Boston.
And a BIG SALUTE to all who helped the victims.

it would be pretty amazing if the perpetrator wasn't caught on video or still shots at some point during the day.

Those are my thoughts.

[Grim Reaper]

And the Tea Party is wasting no time in taking advantage of this tragedy to blame President Obama and point fingers at "Radical" Islam.

[Daisy]

From Grimmy's link

It is a pretty safe bet right now that this attack was carried out by an Islamist. It was a well-coordinated attack. In its publication, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula called for just this kind of attack.

They're going to end up looking a right set of bell-ends if it turns out to be a Tea Party supporting right-wing nut.

[Crackpot]

"Sources" say an arrest was made

[Guinevere]

ARREST IMMINENT! Video plays a key role. I knew my Police Chief was spot on . . .

[Guinevere]

From boston.com

An official briefed on the Boston Marathon bombing investigation said today that authorities have an image of a suspect carrying, and perhaps dropping, a black bag at the second bombing scene on Boylston Street, outside of the Forum restaurant.

Investigators are “very close” in the investigation, said the official, who declined to be named.

That official said authorities may publicize their finding as early as this afternoon.

The same official also said a surveillance camera at Lord & Taylor, located directly across the street, has provided clear video of the area, though it was unclear whether the image of the suspect was taken from that camera.

Authorities planned to brief the media on the progress of the investigation at 5 p.m. today.

“The camera from Lord & Taylor is the best source of video so far,” said Dot Joyce, a spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “All I know is that they are making progress.”

Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said shortly before noon after leaving FBI headquarters that investigators were “working hard and there’s a lot going on,” but he had no comment on whether progress had been made. No arrests were reported this morning.

The Associated Press reported this afternoon that an arrest had been made in the bombing case, citing a law enforcement source. The suspect was to be brought to federal court, the news service reported.

Authorities had appealed to the public for video and photographs of the area near the bombing scene at the finish line of the marathon, noting that many people among the crowd were likely to have taken photos of the conclusion of the world-renowned event.

Two bombs exploded within seconds of each other at 2:50 p.m. Monday near the Boylston Street finish line, killing three people and injuring 176, many of whom suffered major trauma from flying shrapnel, including nails and ball bearings that authorities have said were stuffed into the explosive devices by their makers.

A massive investigation is underway, involving local, state, and federal law enforcement, and officials have promised to go to the “ends of the earth” to find the culprit or culprits.

A spokesman for President Obama said at a Washington media briefing that the president would bring a message of “resolve” and “commonality” when he travels to the city Thursday for an interfaith service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

“The way that the people of Boston and the city of Boston responded reminds us — and reminds the world — of just who we are as a people,” Jay Carney said in a media briefing in Washington, where he was also questioned about poisoned letters sent to the president and a senator.

Asked whether the letters and the bombs were considered linked, Carney deferred to an FBI statement that said there was no indication of a connection.

The bombings killed Martin Richard, 8, of Dorchester; Krystle Campbell, 29, of Arlington, and Boston University graduate student Lingzu Lu, a native of Shenyang, China, who was in her 20s.

The Globe reported today that investigators had found evidence that timing devices were used to detonate the bombs. Working at the city’s largest-ever crime scene, investigators also ­determined that bombs were probably fashioned from 6-liter pressure cookers, filled with nails and small ball bearings, like buckshot, to increase the carnage, and then hidden in black nylon bags or backpacks and left on the ground.

CNN and the Associated Press reported this morning that the lid of one of the pressure cookers was located on the rooftop of a nearby building.

FBI bomb experts at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., will try to rebuild the devices from fragments that include a circuit board that indicated the bombs were detonated on a timer, rather than remote control.

The FBI, which is leading the investigation into the bombing, had asked the public for tips on anyone who may have been lugging a heavy black bag near the finish line.

[Big RR]

Jim--as I recall, the times square bomb was a bunch of firecrackers surrounded by gasoline, set to explode some propane gas cylinders that would (and I'm not sure if this would have worked) set off some fertilizer. While the firecrackers (or gasoline, I can't remember) were in a container sealed with duct tape, it does not appear to be the same as the pressure cooker bombs here, which were more like pipe bombs as I understand them.

[Guinevere]

4PM briefing, and they are taking the suspect to federal court shortly. Wish I had the time to run over there.

[Guinevere]

Carp -- "miscommunication" between officials? the US Attorney says no one in custody. Stay tuned . . .

[Guinevere]

http://www.bostonglobe.com/

Check out the first photo, of investigators working the crime scene.

(the Globe has become a subscription service, but has suspended that program for now -- a smart and savvy move)

[Crackpot]

I'veearned to be
Skeptical when multiple news organizations quote "sources"

[Gob]

1. Timing. The bombs went off within 30 minutes of when most of the athletes running finished the race -- max time for spectators to be at the finish line, at just under the 4 hour mark of the race (BTW, a sub-4 hour marathon on this course isn't elite but it sure isn't shabby and it is indeed "serious.").

My best time is 3.29.20 (Cardiff 85,) I always wanted to break the 3 1/2 hour barrier. Don't know the course at Boston so it may be harder than the Cardiff one.