Boston Terrorist Attack

Peyrol · 04-15-2013, 08:44 PM

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/us...thon.html?_r=0

Boston Marathon Blasts Kill 2, Police Say

BOSTON — A series of explosions was reported near the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday, leaving two people dead and at least two dozen injured, according to the Boston Police Department.

A third explosion was heard just before 4 p.m., about an hour after the first two blasts. The police were apparently aware of that device before the explosion occurred.

The blasts took place about four hours after the start of the men’s race, which meant that there were still several thousand runners yet to finish the race. One senior counterterrorism official said it was too soon to tell whether the explosions were related to terrorism.

The Boston police confirmed they were looking into the explosions, but made no further comment. Another senior United States government official said that the Boston police and the F.B.I. said they had received no reports in recent days about a threat of an attack on the marathon and that there was no warning on Monday.

Several news outlets reported that a loud explosion was heard on the north side of Boylston Street, near a photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another explosion was heard several seconds later.

The Associated Press reported that authorities were helping injured runners leave the scene and that bloodied spectators were being carried to a medical tent that was being used for runners.

Bruce Mendelsohn, who works in a building near the explosion, said on Twitter that he saw blood on the sidewalks and about a dozen casualties.

Authorities in large cities are typically on the highest level of alert for events like a marathon, said Anthony Roman, a security expert.

“It is quite the counterterrorism effort,” said Mr. Roman, who runs Roman & Associates, a New York firm.

For major events in New York and other large cities, Mr. Roman said the police would typically weld manhole covers shut and examine the entire route just before the race. They would also place snipers on rooftops, with helicopters overhead, and analytic cameras in the city would be used, he said.

“They have all the analytic cameras in the city focusing on the race with their advanced software network, reading license plates,” Mr. Roman said.

The Boston Marathon is one of running’s most storied events, established in 1897 and one of the six World Marathon Majors. The event typically attracts an estimated 500,000 spectators and requires certain qualifying times for runners to compete.

The course winds throughout downtown Boston as well as several outlying cities, including Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley and Newton.

Unlike many sporting events that take place in closed arenas, marathons are known and heralded for their sprawl, allowing throngs of spectators to line the 26.2-mile course.

Within minutes of the explosions on Monday, social media and cable networks projected the images of gray smoke on Boylston Street, with emergency crews on the scene.

After the explosions, a spokesman for the New York Police Department said security was being increased at hotels and other prominent locations in New York.

**SKYNET** · 04-15-2013, 08:54 PM

April 15, 2013.

Two explosions in Boston city.

Two bombs exploded near the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, killing two people and injuring 23, police say.

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.

One runner, a state police officer from neighbouring Rhode Island, said he saw at least two dozen people with very serious injuries, including missing limbs.

According to the Boston Marathon website, 2,078 Canadians were listed as entrants among the 27,000 people in the race.

Michael Doyle, a Canadian who was in the marathon, said he heard sirens and "quite a bit of commotion" on Monday afternoon. "Then I heard there were two explosions, one of them close to the finish line, another further up."

"It's [a] very surreal situation," the web producer for Canadian Running magazine told CBC News.

"As I was making my way closer to the scene here, it was a mixture of people who were very upset and crying, and who seemed to be cognizant of what was going on, and those who I think were completely unaware of the situation," he said.

He said he's now seeing military and ambulances in the area.

"There are a lot of people down," said another man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter. 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.

Smoke rose from the blasts, fluttering through the national flags lining the route of the world's oldest and most prestigious marathon. TV helicopter footage showed blood staining the pavement in the popular shopping and tourist area known as the Back Bay.

Runner Laura McLean of Toronto said 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."

Calgary runner Jeremy Deer, who owns a running store, said considering the amount of security at the race the explosions are unbelievable. He said he saw many ambulances from his hotel window.

"There's six ambulances going by and then eight, and then a little break and then a whole bunch more and, you know, they were going both directions. So obviously there's a lot of people who are injured."

Calgary’s Kristen-Ellen Fleming had been watching the race near the finish line and then headed into a restaurant on the corner of Boylston and Newbury streets.

“We were coming out of the restaurant and there were two big explosions and a bunch of smoke…It was just immediate chaos and mayhem and confusion,” she said.

"Everyone was just in utter shock and looking around."

Some runners were still going and confused, she said. “Within a very short amount of time, minutes, there were just sirens everywhere. It just sounded like an absolute war zone. People were crying, on the pavement, like sitting down with their head between their knees. Everyone was on their phone, obviously calling loved ones to let them know they were OK."

Marathon runner Lisa Bentley described the initial explosion to CBC News, saying she "heard this big explosion, and then felt the ground shake."

Bentley, who believes she was between 100-200 metres from the finish line, said that "very soon after" she felt another big bang, followed by more shaking.

"We didn't know what had happened at all – we just started seeing the lights and the sirens and the emergency vehicles and we thought we've just got to get away from here, so we kept walking away from the finish line," said Bentley, who had already finished the race at the time of the explosion.