Boston: Government officials and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) assured the people of Boston that the situation was
under control after twin blasts ripped through the US city on Monday
afternoon, killing three and injuring about 150. The FBI said the
investigation in the bombings was on and that there are no more "known"
threats.
Meanwhile, Massachusetts Governor Deval
Patrick warned of heightened police presence in the city. He added that
only two explosives, the ones that exploded, were found at the blasts
site and that no other explosives have been recovered.
A
Boston-area apartment was one focus of a wide-ranging police
investigation on Tuesday as authorities pursued clues into who carried
out the bombing attack. Police overnight searched an apartment in
Revere, about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Boston, that was the
residence of a person whose connection to the event is under
investigation, law enforcement sources said.
A
stretch of Boylston Street near the race's finish line and the blocks
around it were closed to traffic as police searched for evidence of the
identity of who placed the bombs packed with ball bearings to maximize
casualties. It was the worst bombing on US soil since security was
tightened after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The
White House said the bombings would be treated as "an act of terror"
and President Barack Obama vowed that those responsible would "feel the
full weight of justice." In Boston, dozens of police and National Guard
vehicles were parked around the cordoned-off area, which was empty of
cars and pedestrians as authorities hunted for clues.
A
banner that had marked the race's finish line still hung over the
deserted street. Police searched the Revere residence of a Saudi Arabian
student who was injured in the blasts, according to law enforcement
sources.
One of the sources said the student was the
main lead investigators are looking into, but he has not been labeled a
suspect. Katherine Gulotta, a spokeswoman for the FBI, which has taken
over the lead in the investigation, declined to confirm or deny the
reports. She said police planned to brief the media at 9:30 am (1330
GMT).
Obama was updated on the investigation
overnight by his homeland security and counter-terrorism aide, Lisa
Monaco. The president is due to be briefed on the explosions later by
FBI Director Robert Mueller, Monaco and other senior staff.
White
House officials and investigators said it was too early to say whether
the Boston attacks were carried out by a foreign or homegrown group, or
to identify a motive. Hospitals in the Boston area were planning
surgeries for some of the victims, many of whom sustained lower leg
injuries in the blasts, said Peter Fagenholz, a trauma surgeon at
Massachusetts General Hospital.
"We're seeing a lot
of shrapnel injuries" from small metal debris, Fagenholz told reporters
outside the hospital. Doctors treated 29 people, of whom eight were in a
critical condition. An 8-year-old boy was among the dead, the Boston
Globe reported, citing two law enforcement sources briefed on the
investigation. A 2-year-old was being treated at Boston Children's
Hospital for a head wound, the hospital said.
The
blasts put police on alert in major cities across the United States,
including Washington and New York City, the sites of the September 11
attacks. The annual Boston Marathon, held since 1897, attracts an
estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000 participants every
year.
In Britain, organizers said the London
Marathon would go ahead on Sunday despite the Boston attack, but
security was being reviewed. The Madrid Marathon also planned to proceed
on Sunday, but security plans were under review, a Spanish official
said.
"After what happened in Boston we'll have to
look into whether we need to review our plans. Since yesterday we are
coordinating with municipal security and local government," Pedro
Rumbao, director of the Madrid marathon, told Spanish National Radio.
Runners who had traveled to the city for the race remained in shock on
Tuesday morning.
Pat Monroe-DuPrey, of Winter Haven,
Florida, ran with his wife, Laura, in a trip to mark their 10th
anniversary after being married during the race. He said he did not know
what to make of the blast, which came as he was finishing the race in a
state of exhaustion. "You don't have a brain at 26 miles,"
Monroe-DuPrey said. "They got us off the course, and then I was
panicking."
(With Additional Inputs From Reuters)Facebook Blogger Plugin by Vishal Vadhera | Get Widget