At least two people have been killed and up to 132 people
have been injured as two bombs exploded almost simultaneously near the finish line of the Boston Marathon today, leaving behind a scene of carnage and putting the nation on edge.
It was revealed that an eight-year-old boy was one of the two people
Witnesses reported scenes of utter 'pandemonium' in the seconds after the devices exploded on Boston's Boylston Street sending thousands of runners and spectators running for cover as emergency workers rushed to aid those hurt. This evening, it has been reported that a potential suspect in the attacks is being guarded by police in an undisclosed hospital.
Several reports now say a suspect is being guarded in a Boston hospital bed. One initial report said he was a Saudi Arabian national.The reports claim the hospitalized suspect was himself injured by shrapnel from the finish line explosions and has severe injuries.
Police were keen to underline there had been no arrests but they did say they were talking to suspects.
There was another individual pictured in handcuffs near to the scene but it wasn't clear whether it was an unrelated arrest or not.Hours after twin explosions rang out near the city's Copley Square, President Obama appeared before the nation to tell them, 'We still don't know who did this or why they did this,' vowing that Americans stand by those affected.
He reiterated that many people were injured, 'some gravely' and remarked that on days like today, 'there are no Republicans or Democrats,' emphasizing that it is crucial not to categorize the bombings as terrorist attacks.
He made clear that the 'full weight of justice' would be brought down upon those responsible. 'We will find out who did this and hold them accountable,' he said.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis had said at an afternoon press conference that there was a third, uncontrolled explosion at the JFK Library which was believed to be an electrical fire.
However, any link to the earlier bombs at the marathon finish line has been ruled out.
Eyewitnesses at the finishing line on Boylston Street said there were two loud explosions about ten seconds apart, and emergency vehicles crowded the scene.
Witness Dave Weigel said via Twitter minutes after the explosion: ‘I saw people’s legs blown off. Horrific. Two explosions. Runners were coming in and saw unspeakable horror.'
A White House official called the explosions an 'act of terror,' saying authorities have much to learn about who was behind it.
'Any event with multiple explosive devices — as this appears to be — is clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror,' the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
'However, we don’t yet know who carried out this attack, and a thorough investigation will have to determine whether it was planned and carried out by a terrorist group, foreign or domestic.'
An hour after the 2:50 p.m. blasts in Boston's Copley Square marred the usually joyous end to the marathon, a fire erupted at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library three miles away, but no one was injured, police said.
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis told a news conference the authorities were not certain whether the fire, possibly started by an incendiary device, was related.
Two high-level U.S. law enforcement officials said one or more bombs caused the explosions at the scene of the marathon, which is run annually on the state holiday Patriots' Day.
The two explosions were about 50 to 100 yards (meters) apart as runners crossed the finish line with a timer showing 4 hours and 9 minutes, some 9 minutes faster than the average finish time, as reported by Runner's World magazine.
Of the 23,326 runners who started the race on Monday, 17,584 finished before the blast, marathon officials said. The runners were diverted before officials brought the marathon to a halt.
Mike Mitchell of Vancouver, Canada, a runner who had finished the race, said he was looking back at the finish line and saw a 'massive explosion.'
Smoke rose 50 feet in the air, Mitchell said. People began running and screaming after hearing the noise, Mitchell said.
'Everybody freaked out,' Mitchell said.
'Every asset of the Commonwealth (state) of Massachusetts and the federal government is either here or coming here,' Governor Deval Patrick told reporters.The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Justice Department, Homeland Security Department and other agencies were all lending assistance to the investigation, authorities said.
Obama directed his administration to provide whatever assistance was necessary, the White House said. Obama was being briefed by Homeland Security Adviser Lisa Monaco and other staff, the White House said. Spectators typically line the 26.2 mile race course, with the heaviest crowds near the finish line.
The transit agency shut down all service to the area, citing police activity, and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration temporarily restricted airspace over the scene, a spokesman said. The Boston Marathon has been held on Patriot's Day, the third Monday of April, since 1897. The event, which starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and ends in Boston's Copley Square, attracts an estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000 participants every year.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra cancelled Monday night's concert and the National Hockey League's Boston Bruins canceled their home game against the Ottawa Senators.
CBS News reports that police are now looking at surveillance video showing someone carrying multiple backpacks into the area about 20 minutes before explosions. Additionally, a shadowy figure was captured on CCTV around 20 minutes before the two blasts.
One witness said 'there was blood everywhere.'
Boston’s Lenox Hotel that serves as the headquarters for the Boston Marathon was locked down on Monday after a security incident near the finish line. Two blasts were heard by reporters in the media center.
Authorities closed off the finish line and urged anyone in the area to stay away from trash bins.
In response to the attacks, both the White House and New York's Times Square were given extra security measures. The White House released in a statement that President Obama received a briefing from Homeland Security advisor Lisa Monaco and other members of his staff in the Oval Office.
'The president called Boston Mayor Tom Menino and expressed his concern for those who were injured and to make clear that his administration is ready to provide needed support as they respond to this incident.'
President Barack Obama was notified immediately about the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
Vice President Joe Biden was on a conference call with gun control activists when staffers turned on televisions in his office Monday to view coverage of the explosions. Biden said during the call that his prayers were with those who suffered injuries.
Vice President Joe Biden has released a statement regarding the Boston Marathon bombings.
'Our prayers are with those people in Boston who have suffered injuries. I don’t know how many there are.'
State and local officials told CNN's John King that there was no known credible threat prior to the explosions. The
marathon said in a statement: 'There were two bombs that exploded near
the finish line in today's Boston Marathon. We are working with law
enforcement to understand what exactly has happened.'
Competitors and race organizers were crying as they fled the chaos. Bloody spectators were being carried to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. A man was pictured with his lower leg blown off with his tibia and fibula exposed.
As people wailed in agony, bloody spectators were carried to a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners.
'They just started bringing people in with no limbs,' said Tim Davey, of Richmond, Va. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to keep their children's eyes shielded from the gruesome scene, but 'they saw a lot.'
'They just kept filling up with more and more casualties,' Lisa Davey said. 'Most everybody was conscious. They were very dazed.'
Some 23,000 runners took part in the 26.2-mile race, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious marathons. One of Boston's biggest annual events, the race winds up near Copley Square, not far from the landmark Prudential Center and the Boston Public Library.
In the aftermath Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis asked people to stay indoors or go back to their hotel rooms and avoid crowds as bomb squads checked parcels and bags left along the race route.The Federal Aviation Administration barred low-flying aircraft from within 3.5 miles of the site.
'There are people who are really, really bloody,' said Laura McLean, a runner from Toronto, who was in the medical tent being treated for dehydration when she was pulled out to make room for victims.
In the hour after the explosions one senior U.S. intelligence official said the two other explosive devices found nearby were being dismantled. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the findings publicly.
'There are a lot of people down,'
said one man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter of
North Carolina.
He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg. A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding.
About three hours after the winners crossed the line, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another thunderous explosion could be heard a few seconds later.Runner Laura McLean of Toronto told the Associated Press that she heard two explosions outside the medical tent.
'There are people who are really, really bloody,' McLean said. 'They were pulling them into the medical tent.'
Steven Saurbier, who saw the explosion’s aftermath from his window, told The New York Observer: ‘It shook my building, we’re about 100 yards down the street. I figured it was a cannon, or some giant confetti blast, or something planned for the Marathon.
'Then a second blast went off–much larger–and it rattled the whole building.
‘There was a large cloud of white smoke and people were running from the blast site. Police swarmed immediately, they removed one or two people after patting them down. There were a lot of injured people … I estimate 20 people were medically transported. … I saw a woman being carried by two men and I am almost positive her left leg was blown off at the knee.'
All off-duty Boston police officers have been called in to work following the blasts.
A spokesman for the Boston Marathon said that the race's headquarters are on lock down. Train service on the green line between Kenmore and Park suspended, according to the MBTA.
Windows of Marathon sports store blown out by the force of the two blasts.
Competitors and race organizers were crying as they fled the chaos. Bloody spectators were being carried to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. A man was pictured with his lower leg blown off with his tibia and fibula exposed.
As people wailed in agony, bloody spectators were carried to a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners.
'They just started bringing people in with no limbs,' said Tim Davey, of Richmond, Va. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to keep their children's eyes shielded from the gruesome scene, but 'they saw a lot.'
'They just kept filling up with more and more casualties,' Lisa Davey said. 'Most everybody was conscious. They were very dazed.'
Some 23,000 runners took part in the 26.2-mile race, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious marathons. One of Boston's biggest annual events, the race winds up near Copley Square, not far from the landmark Prudential Center and the Boston Public Library.
In the aftermath Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis asked people to stay indoors or go back to their hotel rooms and avoid crowds as bomb squads checked parcels and bags left along the race route.The Federal Aviation Administration barred low-flying aircraft from within 3.5 miles of the site.
'There are people who are really, really bloody,' said Laura McLean, a runner from Toronto, who was in the medical tent being treated for dehydration when she was pulled out to make room for victims.
In the hour after the explosions one senior U.S. intelligence official said the two other explosive devices found nearby were being dismantled. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the findings publicly.
He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg. A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding.
About three hours after the winners crossed the line, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another thunderous explosion could be heard a few seconds later.Runner Laura McLean of Toronto told the Associated Press that she heard two explosions outside the medical tent.
'There are people who are really, really bloody,' McLean said. 'They were pulling them into the medical tent.'
Steven Saurbier, who saw the explosion’s aftermath from his window, told The New York Observer: ‘It shook my building, we’re about 100 yards down the street. I figured it was a cannon, or some giant confetti blast, or something planned for the Marathon.
'Then a second blast went off–much larger–and it rattled the whole building.
‘There was a large cloud of white smoke and people were running from the blast site. Police swarmed immediately, they removed one or two people after patting them down. There were a lot of injured people … I estimate 20 people were medically transported. … I saw a woman being carried by two men and I am almost positive her left leg was blown off at the knee.'
All off-duty Boston police officers have been called in to work following the blasts.
A spokesman for the Boston Marathon said that the race's headquarters are on lock down. Train service on the green line between Kenmore and Park suspended, according to the MBTA.
Windows of Marathon sports store blown out by the force of the two blasts.
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