explosions at marathon

[b0mberMan]

Just found out a family member of some friends of ours lost a leg but is now stable. This whole thing makes me sick. Gotta believe there will be footage/pictures of the perpetrator(s). This is a reminder that our vigilance can never waver.

Aw jesus. I'm sorry to hear this. Thoughts to your friends and their family.

[flyingelvii]

So... the only known devices were the two that exploded? News yesterday reported a controlled explosion and other found, undetonated devices. What about the Saudi national in custody? Was that for real or just something that got thrown out there?

Not sure a responsibility claim will be forthcoming, given the composition of the victims.

The whole "Saudi national in custody" could end up being something or it could be nothing. From the reports I read, essentially there was a Saudi national at the scene, injured, that was seen running away. This was viewed as suspicious, and someone tackled him. He was then questioned at the hospital.

Maybe he was involved, maybe he was running away because a freaking bomb just went off.

My $ is on a domestic nut. I saw a video of this "hooded man" on a girl's iPhone yesterday: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1317947

This just doesn't feel like international, Islamic terrorism. My money is on a domestic nutcase as well, but of course you're going to peg the Saudi national here on a student visa running away from the scene.

I think there were two bombs that went off, that we see in all the videos, a third that was found and they controlled detonated. My sense is that these "other devices" they've been finding are backpacks, bags, etc. that people dropped in the confusion and Boston EOD decided to blow in place rather than find out if they're actually bombs. Can't blame them.

Do we know any more about the JFK Library bomb? Last I heard it wasn't related and then I thought I saw something that said it was.

It was apparently just an electrical fire or something like that. Not related at all.

[hansen]

Trash can bombs, ball bearings, no plastique or c4 means this is a couple of assholes making explosives out of ammonium nitrate or fertilizer in small enough quantities that their purchases weren't flagged and their landlords/RAs didn't notice. Probably even set from timers, not cell phones. Could have been chemically ignited if there really is a suspect covered in burns.

Feds can't find these guys soon enough.

it blows my mind that common chemicals can easily be mixed together to form powerful explosions like this.

[HJS]

So... the only known devices were the two that exploded? News yesterday reported a controlled explosion and other found, undetonated devices. What about the Saudi national in custody? Was that for real or just something that got thrown out there?

Not sure a responsibility claim will be forthcoming, given the composition of the victims.

The whole "Saudi national in custody" could end up being something or it could be nothing. From the reports I read, essentially there was a Saudi national at the scene, injured, that was seen running away. This was viewed as suspicious, and someone tackled him. He was then questioned at the hospital.

Maybe he was involved, maybe he was running away because a freaking bomb just went off.

My $ is on a domestic nut. I saw a video of this "hooded man" on a girl's iPhone yesterday: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1317947

I think there is more of a chance that you participated in the bombing than the "hooded man". That is typical Twitter/Facebook nonsense. It may be unusual in some areas of the country to see people walking on a roof. But, in Boston, it is simply more efficient than sidewalks. I could just imagine the Twitterverse Conspiracy Sleuths if they ever caught pics of the rooftops of Cleveland Circle.

[PhillyandBCEagles]

So... the only known devices were the two that exploded? News yesterday reported a controlled explosion and other found, undetonated devices. What about the Saudi national in custody? Was that for real or just something that got thrown out there?

Not sure a responsibility claim will be forthcoming, given the composition of the victims.

The whole "Saudi national in custody" could end up being something or it could be nothing. From the reports I read, essentially there was a Saudi national at the scene, injured, that was seen running away. This was viewed as suspicious, and someone tackled him. He was then questioned at the hospital.

Maybe he was involved, maybe he was running away because a freaking bomb just went off.

My $ is on a domestic nut. I saw a video of this "hooded man" on a girl's iPhone yesterday: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1317947

I think there is more of a chance that you participated in the bombing than the "hooded man". That is typical Twitter/Facebook nonsense. It may be unusual in some areas of the country to see people walking on a roof. But, in Boston, it is simply more efficient than sidewalks. I could just imagine the Twitterverse Conspiracy Sleuths if they ever caught pics of the rooftops of Cleveland Circle.

Only a matter of time before someone photoshops Slender Man onto the rooftop

[innocentbystander]

Just found out a family member of some friends of ours lost a leg but is now stable. This whole thing makes me sick. Gotta believe there will be footage/pictures of the perpetrator(s). This is a reminder that our vigilance can never waver.

I'm real sorry to hear that. Prayers to them.

[TontoKowalski]

Trash can bombs, ball bearings, no plastique or c4 means this is a couple of assholes making explosives out of ammonium nitrate or fertilizer in small enough quantities that their purchases weren't flagged and their landlords/RAs didn't notice. Probably even set from timers, not cell phones. Could have been chemically ignited if there really is a suspect covered in burns.

Feds can't find these guys soon enough.

it blows my mind that common chemicals can easily be mixed together to form powerful explosions like this.

Nitrogen's a hell of an element. It's not 'easy' in the sense that, one small mis-step and you will blow yourself to bits, but it's easy in the sense of accumulating materials, producing the stuff in a garage, etc. Also, most common mixtures aren't going to be precision explosives and most guys who might do this in a garage probably lack the expertise to set an electronic timer or firing mechanism. Like I said, if this was unsupported assholes in their garage, they were probably using Radio Shack timers or maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

AQ is more of a C4 type organization - which is a whole different class of explosive.

Buying a whole lot of fertilizer or acetone at once is going to set off various law enforcement alarms - but if you bought small amounts over the course of a year or whatever, you could eventually accumulate enough to produce trash can bombs. Just disgusting. Somebody spent a whole lot of time thinking about this, probably. Disgusting.

Good to see all those people running to donate blood and help bystanders yesterday - humanity >>>>>>> assholes.

[eagle9903]

maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

is this a magnetic thing? what does this mean?

[TontoKowalski]

Once upon a time, bombers would make timed triggers by taking a watch. Taking the face off. Taking the minute/hour hands off and scraping the paint (if they were metal, so the watch hands would conduct electricity). Then, said bombers would drill a tiny hole in the face of the watch, put it back together, and run a lead (electric wire) through that hole. SO when the electricity-conducting hour or minute hand touches the lead that''s threaded through the tiny hole, a circuit is completed, and presumably, the circuit fires the bomb. This is literally the easiest, stupidest way to time bombs.

Most bombs these days are fired by electronic timers, cell phones, pagers, who knows what else. I don't know. I'm operating off very old accounts here (which are freely available by searching even old news articles or tv program transcripts out on the internet) - in fact, iirc, the bomber in Little Drummer Girl did it this way (you can usually rely on Le Carre to do proper research) - but it was a common, easy tactic that doesn't require suspicious or rare materials. But if you're effing around in your garage, this is the kind of shit you might do.

[hansen]

maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

is this a magnetic thing? what does this mean?

And what's AQ?

[eagle9903]

maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

is this a magnetic thing? what does this mean?

And what's AQ?

think BL

[twballgame9]

Pretty horrific. National Guard has the end of Boylston by my house on lock down.

[HJS]

From the briefing... they don't have the slightest clue. They have no suspects or motivation. There are also were no other unexploded devices found.

I think they're not telling you a lot of information, nor should they. We'll find whoever it is, rest assured.

Yeah somebody asked about it and the FBI guy basically said they can neither confirm nor deny that they have anybody in custody. Basically they're trying to prevent the whole Richard Jewell thing from Atlanta happening all over again. But once they do name names, I imagine it'll be pretty rock solid.

Speaking of Richard Jewell... this has a TON of similarities with the Atlanta Olympics bombing (see, IBpedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centennial ... rk_bombing).

[twballgame9]

I suppose I should update as well, as I realized I had a cryptic last post yesterday. GF was on the patio at Atlantic Fish. She got very lucky, had some hearing issues and is really sore from getting knocked down, but avoided any serious injury. Shaken by what she saw but hanging in. Fence probably helped a lot, as the second explosion was about a storefront away. We're pretty thankful.

[HJS]

I suppose I should update as well, as I realized I had a cryptic last post yesterday. GF was on the patio at Atlantic Fish. She got very lucky, had some hearing issues and is really sore from getting knocked down, but avoided any serious injury. Shaken by what she saw but hanging in. Fence probably helped a lot, as the second explosion was about a storefront away. We're pretty thankful.

That is simply unbelievable how fortunate she was. The Forum (next door) is where a lot of those bloody pictures were taken from. That second blast also seems to have been the more powerful of the two... and from where the majority were injured.

[innocentbystander]

I suppose I should update as well, as I realized I had a cryptic last post yesterday. GF was on the patio at Atlantic Fish. She got very lucky, had some hearing issues and is really sore from getting knocked down, but avoided any serious injury. Shaken by what she saw but hanging in. Fence probably helped a lot, as the second explosion was about a storefront away. We're pretty thankful.

teddy, thank God your gf is alright.

[Dick Rosenthal]

Trash can bombs, ball bearings, no plastique or c4 means this is a couple of assholes making explosives out of ammonium nitrate or fertilizer in small enough quantities that their purchases weren't flagged and their landlords/RAs didn't notice. Probably even set from timers, not cell phones. Could have been chemically ignited if there really is a suspect covered in burns.

Feds can't find these guys soon enough.

it blows my mind that common chemicals can easily be mixed together to form powerful explosions like this.

Nitrogen's a hell of an element. It's not 'easy' in the sense that, one small mis-step and you will blow yourself to bits, but it's easy in the sense of accumulating materials, producing the stuff in a garage, etc. Also, most common mixtures aren't going to be precision explosives and most guys who might do this in a garage probably lack the expertise to set an electronic timer or firing mechanism. Like I said, if this was unsupported assholes in their garage, they were probably using Radio Shack timers or maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

AQ is more of a C4 type organization - which is a whole different class of explosive.

Buying a whole lot of fertilizer or acetone at once is going to set off various law enforcement alarms - but if you bought small amounts over the course of a year or whatever, you could eventually accumulate enough to produce trash can bombs. Just disgusting. Somebody spent a whole lot of time thinking about this, probably. Disgusting.

Good to see all those people running to donate blood and help bystanders yesterday - humanity >>>>>>> assholes.

I dunno, I have heard the bombs match the type used in London in 2005 (pressure cookers filled with ball bearings). This was apparently the MO of one particularly nasty bombmaker in Iraq who had opened up a bomb making school before he got double tapped in 2007 or thereabouts. I have heard some credible sources suggest the profile for this person(s) is someone who was trained by an underling of the aforementioned bomb maker.

[PhillyandBCEagles]

Trash can bombs, ball bearings, no plastique or c4 means this is a couple of assholes making explosives out of ammonium nitrate or fertilizer in small enough quantities that their purchases weren't flagged and their landlords/RAs didn't notice. Probably even set from timers, not cell phones. Could have been chemically ignited if there really is a suspect covered in burns.

Feds can't find these guys soon enough.

it blows my mind that common chemicals can easily be mixed together to form powerful explosions like this.

Nitrogen's a hell of an element. It's not 'easy' in the sense that, one small mis-step and you will blow yourself to bits, but it's easy in the sense of accumulating materials, producing the stuff in a garage, etc. Also, most common mixtures aren't going to be precision explosives and most guys who might do this in a garage probably lack the expertise to set an electronic timer or firing mechanism. Like I said, if this was unsupported assholes in their garage, they were probably using Radio Shack timers or maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

AQ is more of a C4 type organization - which is a whole different class of explosive.

AQ themselves have access to C4--unsupported assholes in their garage, as you say, don't, but that doesn't mean they don't fancy themselves part of AQ.

[twballgame9]

I suppose I should update as well, as I realized I had a cryptic last post yesterday. GF was on the patio at Atlantic Fish. She got very lucky, had some hearing issues and is really sore from getting knocked down, but avoided any serious injury. Shaken by what she saw but hanging in. Fence probably helped a lot, as the second explosion was about a storefront away. We're pretty thankful.

That is simply unbelievable how fortunate she was. The Forum (next door) is where a lot of those bloody pictures were taken from. That second blast also seems to have been the more powerful of the two... and from where the majority were injured.

They almost went to Forum. And I almost left work at 2:30 yesterday to make the 20 minute walk through the Common and down Boylston to join them. Like I said, we're thankful. According to her, the people on the Atlantic Fish patio were fortunate, the people outside that area were not so lucky. I won't post pictures here, but in the overhead shots of Forum taken last night by helicopter, you can see that there is a divider between the two bars - a fence and some high trees.

[hansen]

I suppose I should update as well, as I realized I had a cryptic last post yesterday. GF was on the patio at Atlantic Fish. She got very lucky, had some hearing issues and is really sore from getting knocked down, but avoided any serious injury. Shaken by what she saw but hanging in. Fence probably helped a lot, as the second explosion was about a storefront away. We're pretty thankful.

Wow, that is unbelievable. I can't believe she was that close. Did she describe what th force of the blast was like? I can't imagine being knocked to the ground like that. I just find this whole thing so hard to comprehend.

P.s. good to hear she is otherwise OK.

[b0mberMan]

I suppose I should update as well, as I realized I had a cryptic last post yesterday. GF was on the patio at Atlantic Fish. She got very lucky, had some hearing issues and is really sore from getting knocked down, but avoided any serious injury. Shaken by what she saw but hanging in. Fence probably helped a lot, as the second explosion was about a storefront away. We're pretty thankful.

Glad to hear she is ok. Just heard that an acquaintance from BC (haven't seen or heard from since graduation, really) and his wife have both required amputations and are still recovering. Though I'm not close to him, I know people who are. This just sucks. Having a face and name just makes it scarier.

[twballgame9]

Trash can bombs, ball bearings, no plastique or c4 means this is a couple of assholes making explosives out of ammonium nitrate or fertilizer in small enough quantities that their purchases weren't flagged and their landlords/RAs didn't notice. Probably even set from timers, not cell phones. Could have been chemically ignited if there really is a suspect covered in burns.

Feds can't find these guys soon enough.

it blows my mind that common chemicals can easily be mixed together to form powerful explosions like this.

Nitrogen's a hell of an element. It's not 'easy' in the sense that, one small mis-step and you will blow yourself to bits, but it's easy in the sense of accumulating materials, producing the stuff in a garage, etc. Also, most common mixtures aren't going to be precision explosives and most guys who might do this in a garage probably lack the expertise to set an electronic timer or firing mechanism. Like I said, if this was unsupported assholes in their garage, they were probably using Radio Shack timers or maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

AQ is more of a C4 type organization - which is a whole different class of explosive.

Buying a whole lot of fertilizer or acetone at once is going to set off various law enforcement alarms - but if you bought small amounts over the course of a year or whatever, you could eventually accumulate enough to produce trash can bombs. Just disgusting. Somebody spent a whole lot of time thinking about this, probably. Disgusting.

Good to see all those people running to donate blood and help bystanders yesterday - humanity >>>>>>> assholes.

I dunno, I have heard the bombs match the type used in London in 2005 (pressure cookers filled with ball bearings). This was apparently the MO of one particularly nasty bombmaker in Iraq who had opened up a bomb making school before he got double tapped in 2007 or thereabouts. I have heard some credible sources suggest the profile for this person(s) is someone who was trained by an underling of the aforementioned bomb maker.

I am sure that law enforcement is keeping quiet either way, but the MGH and BIDMC doctors were quite adamant that they believed the shrapnel was from the environment and not ball bearings, as had been reported.

[hansen]

So... the only known devices were the two that exploded? News yesterday reported a controlled explosion and other found, undetonated devices. What about the Saudi national in custody? Was that for real or just something that got thrown out there?

Not sure a responsibility claim will be forthcoming, given the composition of the victims.

The whole "Saudi national in custody" could end up being something or it could be nothing. From the reports I read, essentially there was a Saudi national at the scene, injured, that was seen running away. This was viewed as suspicious, and someone tackled him. He was then questioned at the hospital.

Maybe he was involved, maybe he was running away because a freaking bomb just went off.

My $ is on a domestic nut. I saw a video of this "hooded man" on a girl's iPhone yesterday: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.1317947

I think there is more of a chance that you participated in the bombing than the "hooded man". That is typical Twitter/Facebook nonsense. It may be unusual in some areas of the country to see people walking on a roof. But, in Boston, it is simply more efficient than sidewalks. I could just imagine the Twitterverse Conspiracy Sleuths if they ever caught pics of the rooftops of Cleveland Circle.

Only a matter of time before HomoJS and philly intern ruin this thread with another lovers quarrel

FIXED

[twballgame9]

I suppose I should update as well, as I realized I had a cryptic last post yesterday. GF was on the patio at Atlantic Fish. She got very lucky, had some hearing issues and is really sore from getting knocked down, but avoided any serious injury. Shaken by what she saw but hanging in. Fence probably helped a lot, as the second explosion was about a storefront away. We're pretty thankful.

Glad to hear she is ok. Just heard that an acquaintance from BC (haven't seen or heard from since graduation, really) and his wife have both required amputations and are still recovering. Though I'm not close to him, I know people who are. This just sucks. Having a face and name just makes it scarier.

The phone call from her that I got from the Crate and Barrel land line about 30 seconds before my last post yesterday was one of the scariest moments of my life.

[pick6pedro]

Awful, awful, awful. Still getting my head around this.

A friend's father took shrapnel to the back, but he appears to be doing OK. In fact, his frame protected his children. My brother-in-law and a good friend had both just finished (sepeartely) only a couple minutes before and were just on the other side of Copley Square at the time. The friend's family had just left the finish line area as well. Multiple friends were in the area watching from all sides but are OK - just understandably shaken. I had the day off and made the call the night before to be out by BC rather than meet some of those friends in the Arlington/Berkeley St area...with the option of being around the finish line always on the table.

Last year at that exact time I was outside my office congratulating runners I knew as they received their medals.

The runners in the videos right at the line as the explosions occurred are ones I recognized from Heartbreak Hill as I cheered on those I knew - the woman who falls in the blue outfit and pink socks and the man pushing a child in a running stroller the two specific ones I remember noting on Comm Ave.

I've heard sone report of some BC '03 grads that lost limbs, but it is extremely unconfirmed as I've not heard anything about them anywhere else, so take that FWIW.

I've run the marathon and walk those exact blocks to work on a daily basis. The familiarity of every video and interview and map is still shocking. Typically I wake up to bustling noises of people slamming car doors or trucks going by, but this morning it was eerie as none of that occurred.

Sorry for the scatted thoughts..I'm still digesting and have gone through so many levels of fear and anger that I never thought I would experience.

[HJS]

Trash can bombs, ball bearings, no plastique or c4 means this is a couple of assholes making explosives out of ammonium nitrate or fertilizer in small enough quantities that their purchases weren't flagged and their landlords/RAs didn't notice. Probably even set from timers, not cell phones. Could have been chemically ignited if there really is a suspect covered in burns.

Feds can't find these guys soon enough.

it blows my mind that common chemicals can easily be mixed together to form powerful explosions like this.

Nitrogen's a hell of an element. It's not 'easy' in the sense that, one small mis-step and you will blow yourself to bits, but it's easy in the sense of accumulating materials, producing the stuff in a garage, etc. Also, most common mixtures aren't going to be precision explosives and most guys who might do this in a garage probably lack the expertise to set an electronic timer or firing mechanism. Like I said, if this was unsupported assholes in their garage, they were probably using Radio Shack timers or maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

AQ is more of a C4 type organization - which is a whole different class of explosive.

Buying a whole lot of fertilizer or acetone at once is going to set off various law enforcement alarms - but if you bought small amounts over the course of a year or whatever, you could eventually accumulate enough to produce trash can bombs. Just disgusting. Somebody spent a whole lot of time thinking about this, probably. Disgusting.

Good to see all those people running to donate blood and help bystanders yesterday - humanity >>>>>>> assholes.

I dunno, I have heard the bombs match the type used in London in 2005 (pressure cookers filled with ball bearings). This was apparently the MO of one particularly nasty bombmaker in Iraq who had opened up a bomb making school before he got double tapped in 2007 or thereabouts. I have heard some credible sources suggest the profile for this person(s) is someone who was trained by an underling of the aforementioned bomb maker.

If this article is correct... and the bombs were in 6-liter pressure cookers stuffed in shrapnel-filled black duffle bags... I simply can't understand how the eff they don't have pics and video of this guy hauling these things already. This wouldn't be a simple backpack... this is a freaking large and heavy bag.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/ ... 6-05-26-46

[hansen]

The Taliban is denying any responsibility for the attack. Also, the article provides some details about the bombs: 5 L pressure cookers filled with ball bearings, nails, and BBs which were then placed in black duffel bags.
from whdh

[pick6pedro]

Trash can bombs, ball bearings, no plastique or c4 means this is a couple of assholes making explosives out of ammonium nitrate or fertilizer in small enough quantities that their purchases weren't flagged and their landlords/RAs didn't notice. Probably even set from timers, not cell phones. Could have been chemically ignited if there really is a suspect covered in burns.

Feds can't find these guys soon enough.

it blows my mind that common chemicals can easily be mixed together to form powerful explosions like this.

Nitrogen's a hell of an element. It's not 'easy' in the sense that, one small mis-step and you will blow yourself to bits, but it's easy in the sense of accumulating materials, producing the stuff in a garage, etc. Also, most common mixtures aren't going to be precision explosives and most guys who might do this in a garage probably lack the expertise to set an electronic timer or firing mechanism. Like I said, if this was unsupported assholes in their garage, they were probably using Radio Shack timers or maybe going full 1970s and scraping the paint off metal watch hands.

AQ is more of a C4 type organization - which is a whole different class of explosive.

Buying a whole lot of fertilizer or acetone at once is going to set off various law enforcement alarms - but if you bought small amounts over the course of a year or whatever, you could eventually accumulate enough to produce trash can bombs. Just disgusting. Somebody spent a whole lot of time thinking about this, probably. Disgusting.

Good to see all those people running to donate blood and help bystanders yesterday - humanity >>>>>>> assholes.

I dunno, I have heard the bombs match the type used in London in 2005 (pressure cookers filled with ball bearings). This was apparently the MO of one particularly nasty bombmaker in Iraq who had opened up a bomb making school before he got double tapped in 2007 or thereabouts. I have heard some credible sources suggest the profile for this person(s) is someone who was trained by an underling of the aforementioned bomb maker.

If this article is correct... and the bombs were in 6-liter pressure cookers stuffed in shrapnel-filled black duffle bags... I simply can't understand how the eff they don't have pics and video of this guy hauling these things already. This wouldn't be a simple backpack... this is a freaking large and heavy bag.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/ ... 6-05-26-46

I simply can't grasp why you believe they would have shared them with you or the larger public at this point. Shut the fuck up.

[twballgame9]

Boston has a shit ton of cctv, especially in and around T stations. Believe me, they have pictures. Agree with Pedro, not sure why you are surprised they haven't called you to look at them yet.

[Dick Rosenthal]

You shut the fuck up asshole. Law enforcement leaks all the time. And since Brennan was just on TV essentially confirming the type and design, it would appear that the composition of the device is now known.