Thursday, May 2, 2013

Boston shatters post 9/11 calm—act of terror leaves 3 dead, more than 170 hurt

Washington: American confidence about having staved off a terror attack on mainland USA after 9/ 11 was dented after twin blasts killed three people and injured close to 150, 17 of them critically, near the finish line of the iconic Boston marathon. Among the victims was an 8-year-old boy. Scores of runners and bystanders lost one or both legs. Eight children were among the injured. 
    Nearly 24 hours after Monday’s bloodbath, it was still not clear if the attack came from the domestic disgruntled or foreign elements.
    President Barack Obama did not use the word “terror” or “terrorism” in his initial remarks, but 24 hours later, he said “given what we now know about what took place, the FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism”.
    “Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror,” Obama said in a statement. “What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack, or why; whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organiza
tion, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual.”
    There were 23,000 people running the marathon and more than 1,700 had crossed the tape when the
blasts occurred about 10 seconds and 90 metres apart.
    There were reports of a 20-year Saudi student being questioned even as the Saudi foreign minister
was in the US capital, but the initial finger of suspicion pointed to a home-grown, lone-person attack, given the relative crudeness of the explosives despite its lethal nature. 
ENEMY AT HOME? Two bombs go off near finish line of Boston marathon on Monday, about 10 seconds and 90m apart. By then, 17,000 of the 23,000 runners had finished the race
Three people dead, 17 critical, many of whom had to have one or both legs amputated
Bombs were in 6-litre pressure cookers packed with metal and ball bearings, placed in black bags. Officers suspect home-grown terrorists involved
After initial caution, President Obama calls attack a ‘cowardly’ act of terror
No one claims responsibility but US authorities search a suburban Boston home, detain a Saudi student for questioning
Two passengers and their bags removed from a flight before it left Boston for Chicago

No comments:

Post a Comment