BECKHAM
17-04-2013, 02:07 PM
Two days after explosives killed three people and injured more than 180 during the Boston Marathon, details continue to trickle in as investigators sort through evidence. Authorities will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. ET. WHAT'S NEW
-- Overnight, President Barack Obama continued to receive updates about the investigation, a White House official said.
In addition to the direct briefings, senior White House officials have convened multiple briefings with senior members of the federal response and law enforcement team over the past two days.
-- Later Wednesday, Obama will get a briefing from Attorney General Eric Holder, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco, and other senior members of his team.
PREVIOUSLY REPORTED
The casualties
The blasts left three people dead.
They are:
-- Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy with a gap-tooth grin and bright eyes. He loved to run and play in his yard.
-- Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old freckle-faced woman described by her mother as having "a heart of gold."
-- The third victim was a Chinese graduate student at Boston University who had moved to the city last fall, making friends and soaking up new experiences. The iconic marathon was to have been one such feat for her.
The explosions wounded 183 people.
Of them:
-- At least 100 have been released from area hospitals, according to the latest CNN tally.
-- Martin's mother and sister are among the injured. His mother underwent surgery for a brain injury, and his 6-year-old sister lost her leg.
-- Doctors say the dozens of victims suffered complex lower injuries that involve blood vessels, bone and tissue.
-- The bombings resulted in at least 13 amputations and left doctors picking ball bearings out of victims in the emergency room, a terrorism expert briefed on the investigation said.
The explosions
-- The two bombs hit 12 seconds apart near the marathon's finish line.
-- One of the two bombs was housed in a pressure cooker hidden inside a backpack, the FBI said. To maximize the impact of the shrapnel, the device may have included "nails, BBs, and ball bearings."
-- The second bomb was also housed in a metal container, but there's not enough evidence to determine whether it was also in a pressure cooker, the agency said.
-- Evidence recovered from the scene will be sent to the FBI's lab in Quantico, Virginia, where analysts will reconstruct the devices used in the attack.
Pressure cooker bombs
-- The simplicity of the bomb makes it hard to trace it to any particular group, an official said.
-- The "recipe" for the bombs ignited by pressure cookers can be found widely on the Internet
-- In 2004, Homeland Security issued an advisory about pressure-cooker bombs.
-- They are made by placing TNT or other explosives in a pressure cooker and attaching a blasting cap at the top, the advisory said. Pressure cooker bombs are made with readily available materials and can be as complex as the builder decides.
-- Though it could indicate domestic terrorism, it has also been used in a handful of instances related to international terrorism attempts by individuals over the last few years, an official said.
Terror group links
-- So far, no connection has been made to any terror group or terrorist.
-- "There is no reporting indicating a foreign connection, or any reaction from al Qaeda," a senior U.S. official said.
-- Obama described it as a terrorism act, but said it is unclear whether it was the work of a group or "a malevolent individual."
-- The Pakistani Taliban has said it was not involved in the attack.
-- Authorities don't have a sense of what the motive is, and no one is in custody, according to an official.
-- DesLauriers asked the public to report anyone who talked about targeting the marathon or showed interest in explosives. He urged anyone who might have heard the sounds of explosions in remote areas -- possibly by someone testing a bomb -- or saw someone carrying "an unusually heavy, dark-colored bag" around the time of the attack to come forward.
Investigation
-- Authorities are processing "the most complex crime scene that we have dealt with in the history of our department," said Ed Davis, the Boston police commissioner.
-- Forensic specialists and dogs trained to detect explosive devices and their residue are at the scene of the blasts. A command post has been created, with 1,000 officers conducting interviews and gathering details.
-- Authorities have received 2,000 tips from around the world, said FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers. "Whomever did this is someones friend or relative -- someone knows who did this," he said.
NoSaudi connection
-- U.S. officials have said that more than one Saudi has been interviewed, including a 20-year-old student who was questioned as a possible witness.
-- But a U.S. official said the student "was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
-- The Saudi Embassy in the United States shot down reports its citizen was involved.
"The embassy stresses that there is no evidence, according to U.S. authorities, of involvement of any Saudi national in the bombings," it said in a statement Tuesday.
-- The investigation right now is inconclusive.
"They thought they had something with the Saudi national and that evaporated. There's no sense that they have latched onto anybody or any motive," said a senior law enforcement official.
-- Authorities are asking those who may have video or pictures from the scene around the time of the blasts to call city or FBI hot lines.
Security elsewhere
-- A series of cities have stepped up security in the wake of the attacks, including Washington, New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.
-- British police said they are reviewing the security plan for the London Marathon scheduled for Sunday. The marathon will mark 30 seconds of silence and is urging runners to wear a black ribbon to mark the Boston events.
Tributes
-- Crowds gathered for a vigil on the Boston Common on Tuesday night. They sang songs, lit candles and wept.
-- In New York, the Yankees played "Sweet Caroline" during their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a tribute to the victims. The Boston Red Sox team has played the Neil Diamond song during its games for the past 15 years
-- Obama will travel to Boston on Thursday for an 11 a.m. interfaith service dedicated to the victims.
-- Overnight, President Barack Obama continued to receive updates about the investigation, a White House official said.
In addition to the direct briefings, senior White House officials have convened multiple briefings with senior members of the federal response and law enforcement team over the past two days.
-- Later Wednesday, Obama will get a briefing from Attorney General Eric Holder, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Homeland Security adviser Lisa Monaco, and other senior members of his team.
PREVIOUSLY REPORTED
The casualties
The blasts left three people dead.
They are:
-- Martin Richard, an 8-year-old boy with a gap-tooth grin and bright eyes. He loved to run and play in his yard.
-- Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old freckle-faced woman described by her mother as having "a heart of gold."
-- The third victim was a Chinese graduate student at Boston University who had moved to the city last fall, making friends and soaking up new experiences. The iconic marathon was to have been one such feat for her.
The explosions wounded 183 people.
Of them:
-- At least 100 have been released from area hospitals, according to the latest CNN tally.
-- Martin's mother and sister are among the injured. His mother underwent surgery for a brain injury, and his 6-year-old sister lost her leg.
-- Doctors say the dozens of victims suffered complex lower injuries that involve blood vessels, bone and tissue.
-- The bombings resulted in at least 13 amputations and left doctors picking ball bearings out of victims in the emergency room, a terrorism expert briefed on the investigation said.
The explosions
-- The two bombs hit 12 seconds apart near the marathon's finish line.
-- One of the two bombs was housed in a pressure cooker hidden inside a backpack, the FBI said. To maximize the impact of the shrapnel, the device may have included "nails, BBs, and ball bearings."
-- The second bomb was also housed in a metal container, but there's not enough evidence to determine whether it was also in a pressure cooker, the agency said.
-- Evidence recovered from the scene will be sent to the FBI's lab in Quantico, Virginia, where analysts will reconstruct the devices used in the attack.
Pressure cooker bombs
-- The simplicity of the bomb makes it hard to trace it to any particular group, an official said.
-- The "recipe" for the bombs ignited by pressure cookers can be found widely on the Internet
-- In 2004, Homeland Security issued an advisory about pressure-cooker bombs.
-- They are made by placing TNT or other explosives in a pressure cooker and attaching a blasting cap at the top, the advisory said. Pressure cooker bombs are made with readily available materials and can be as complex as the builder decides.
-- Though it could indicate domestic terrorism, it has also been used in a handful of instances related to international terrorism attempts by individuals over the last few years, an official said.
Terror group links
-- So far, no connection has been made to any terror group or terrorist.
-- "There is no reporting indicating a foreign connection, or any reaction from al Qaeda," a senior U.S. official said.
-- Obama described it as a terrorism act, but said it is unclear whether it was the work of a group or "a malevolent individual."
-- The Pakistani Taliban has said it was not involved in the attack.
-- Authorities don't have a sense of what the motive is, and no one is in custody, according to an official.
-- DesLauriers asked the public to report anyone who talked about targeting the marathon or showed interest in explosives. He urged anyone who might have heard the sounds of explosions in remote areas -- possibly by someone testing a bomb -- or saw someone carrying "an unusually heavy, dark-colored bag" around the time of the attack to come forward.
Investigation
-- Authorities are processing "the most complex crime scene that we have dealt with in the history of our department," said Ed Davis, the Boston police commissioner.
-- Forensic specialists and dogs trained to detect explosive devices and their residue are at the scene of the blasts. A command post has been created, with 1,000 officers conducting interviews and gathering details.
-- Authorities have received 2,000 tips from around the world, said FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers. "Whomever did this is someones friend or relative -- someone knows who did this," he said.
NoSaudi connection
-- U.S. officials have said that more than one Saudi has been interviewed, including a 20-year-old student who was questioned as a possible witness.
-- But a U.S. official said the student "was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
-- The Saudi Embassy in the United States shot down reports its citizen was involved.
"The embassy stresses that there is no evidence, according to U.S. authorities, of involvement of any Saudi national in the bombings," it said in a statement Tuesday.
-- The investigation right now is inconclusive.
"They thought they had something with the Saudi national and that evaporated. There's no sense that they have latched onto anybody or any motive," said a senior law enforcement official.
-- Authorities are asking those who may have video or pictures from the scene around the time of the blasts to call city or FBI hot lines.
Security elsewhere
-- A series of cities have stepped up security in the wake of the attacks, including Washington, New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.
-- British police said they are reviewing the security plan for the London Marathon scheduled for Sunday. The marathon will mark 30 seconds of silence and is urging runners to wear a black ribbon to mark the Boston events.
Tributes
-- Crowds gathered for a vigil on the Boston Common on Tuesday night. They sang songs, lit candles and wept.
-- In New York, the Yankees played "Sweet Caroline" during their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in a tribute to the victims. The Boston Red Sox team has played the Neil Diamond song during its games for the past 15 years
-- Obama will travel to Boston on Thursday for an 11 a.m. interfaith service dedicated to the victims.