Marathon explosives made of pressure cookers
BOSTON, USA (AP) — The explosives that killed three and wounded more than 170 at the Boston Marathon were made of pressure cookers packed with metal and ball bearings, a person briefed on the investigation said yesterday.
President Barack Obama said it was unclear whether the bombings were carried out by an international organisation, domestic group or a “malevolent individual”.
Obama, speaking to reporters at the White House, said authorities still don’t know who is responsible and officials said no one had claimed responsibility. He called the bombing “a heinous and cowardly act” used to target innocent civilians.
The chief FBI agent in Boston vowed “we will go to the ends of the Earth” to find whoever carried out the deadly attack on one of the city’s most famous civic holidays, Patriots Day.
A person briefed on the attack, which left the streets splattered with blood and glass, said the explosives were in six-litre pressure cookers and placed in black duffel bags that were placed on the ground. The person said the duffel bags contained shards of metal, nails and ball bearings. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
Richard DesLauriers, FBI agent in charge in Boston, said earlier that investigators had received “voluminous tips” and were interviewing witnesses and were analysing the crime scene.
“We will go to the ends of the Earth to identify the subject or subjects who are responsible for this despicable crime, and we will do everything we can to bring them to justice,” he said.
A European security official said yesterday initial evidence indicates that the attacks were not the work of suicide bombers.
“So far, investigators believe it was not the work of suicide bombers, but it is still too early to rule it out completely,” said the official, who spoke from the United States on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak about the US investigation.
The Pakistani Taliban, which has threatened attacks in the United States because of its support for the Pakistani government, yesterday denied any role in the marathon bombings.
The fiery explosions took place about 10 seconds and about 100 yards (90 metres) apart, knocking spectators and at least one runner off their feet, shattering windows and sending dense plumes of smoke rising over the street and through the fluttering national flags lining the route.
Blood stained the pavement, and huge shards were missing from window panes as high as three storeys. Victims suffered broken bones, shrapnel wounds and ruptured eardrums.
Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel called the bombing a “cruel act of terror”. He said that any event with explosive devices is clearly an act of terror and he promised that a thorough investigation will determine whether the perpetrators were foreign or domestic. The Pentagon chief vowed that those responsible will be brought to justice.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday no unexploded bombs were found at the marathon site. He said the only explosives were the ones that went off Monday.
Roupen Bastajian, a state trooper from Smithfield, Rhode Island, had just finished the race when he heard the explosions.
“I started running toward the blast. And there were people all over the floor,” he said. “We started grabbing tourniquets and started tying legs. A lot of people were amputated.”
At Massachusetts General Hospital, Alasdair Conn, chief of emergency services, said: “This is something I’ve never seen in my 25 years here … this amount of carnage in the civilian population. This is what we expect from war.”
WBZ-TV reported late Monday that law enforcement officers were searching an apartment in the Boston suburb of Revere. Massachusetts State Police confirmed that a search warrant related to the investigation into the explosions was served Monday night in Revere, but provided no further details.
Some investigators were seen leaving the Revere house early yesterday carrying brown paper bags, plastic trash bags and a duffel bag.
But Dr Stephen Epstein of the emergency medicine department at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, said he saw an X-ray of one victim’s leg that had “what appears to be small, uniform, round objects throughout it — similar in the appearance to BBs.” He said it remained to be determined what exactly the objects were.
Other doctors said they removed a host of sharp objects from the victims, including nails that were sticking out of one little girl’s body.
Police said three people were killed. Eight-year-old Martin Richard was among the dead, according to a person who talked to a friend of the family and spoke on condition of anonymity. The person said the boy’s mother and sister were also injured.
Police commissioner Ed Davis said 176 victims were taken to hospitals around Boston, and 17 were in critical condition. At least eight children were being treated at hospitals.