Candid Scope
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Injured people and debris lie on the sidewalk near the Boston Marathon finish line following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013.
Governor promises ‘progress' in marathon bomb investigation while authorities push back on arrest reports
No arrests have been made but investigators are gaining ground on identifying the assailant behind the fatal bombing at the Boston Marathon, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said late Wednesday.
"They are making progress, there's no doubt about it," Gov. Patrick told reporters.
The governor asked for the public's patience as the probe continues into who planted the two shrapnel-filled bombs that exploded near the marathon finish line on Monday. Three people died in the blast, and at last 170 were injured.
"I take comfort in the fact that the investigation is as thorough as it is," Patrick said. "When you consider the size of the crime scene and the fact that they have to go through it square inch by square inch, that's exactly what we want and what we need."
Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013.
Medical workers wheel the injured across the finish line during the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria of the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts.
A Boston police officer clears Boylston Street following an explosion at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Two explosions shattered the euphoria at the finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured while the stragglers were rerouted away from the smoking site of the blasts.
Bill Iffrig, 78, lies on the ground as police officers react to a second explosion at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013. Iffrig, of Lake Stevens, Wash., was running his third Boston Marathon and near the finish line when he was knocked down by one of two bomb blasts.
Public safety officials evacuate the scene after several explosions near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 15, 2013.
The FBI had scheduled a news conference for 8 p.m. Wednesday, but minutes later canceled the briefing without explanation.Earlier Wednesday law enforcement authorities forcefully denied a flurry of news reports that an arrest had been made in the case.
Several news organizations including The Associated Press, CNN and the Boston Globe reported a suspect had been arrested and was en route to the Moakley Federal Courthouse in South Boston. The Boston Police Department and the US Attorney's office in Boston denied those reports on Wednesday afternoon, saying no arrest had been made.
The FBI issued a sternly worded rebuke to the press for reporting that a suspect was in custody.
"Contrary to widespread reporting, no arrest has been made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack," Special Agent Greg Comcowich said in the statement. "Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate." He added that the reports cause "unintended consequences," and that the media should verify their information through "official channels."
The Associated Press said its original unnamed source stands by the information.
Meanwhile, the Moakley Federal Courthouse was evacuated around 3 p.m. Wednesday after a bomb threat. Hundreds of reporters and court employees--some of whom had gathered out front to see if a suspect would be brought there--calmly evacuated the building and walked across the street. More than a dozen news vans with satellite uplinks lined the street adjacent to the courthouse while news helicopters hovered above.
This image from a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security joint bulletin issued to law enforcement and obtained by The Associated Press, shows the remains of a pressure cooker that the FBI says was part of one of the bombs that exploded during the Boston Marathon. The FBI says it has evidence that indicates one of the bombs was contained in a pressure cooker with nails and ball bearings, and it was hidden in a backpack.
About 90 minutes after the building was evacuated, a maintenance worker emerged from the courthouse waving a green flag signaling "all clear," and people were allowed back into the building.
A small plaza at the Brigham & Women's Hospital was also evacuated due to an abandoned vehicle in the area, a spokeswoman confirmed, but they've been given the all clear and were let back in the building. The hospital is still treating several victims of the attack.
Authorities combed through video footage to find an image of "a suspect carrying, and perhaps dropping, a black bag at the second bombing scene," The Boston Globe reported. CBS News reported that the video showed a man in a black jacket talking on his cell phone "placing a black bag at the second bomb site outside of the Forum restaurant on Boylston Street and then leaving the area before that explosion." Police used the time stamp on the video to scan all the calls made in the area to try to track him down, Orr reported.
The FBI was scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday at 5 p.m., but announced it would be postponed until later Wednesday night due to the courthouse bomb threat. The breakthrough in the investigation came from analyzing department store surveillance video and video from a news station.
An FBI spokesman in Boston and a spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Tom Menino declined to comment on the reports to Yahoo News.
Eight-year-old Martin Richard, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell and 23-year-old Lingzi Lu were the three people killed in the explosion. Several of the injured needed amputations.
Police have said the bombs were fashioned from debris-filled pressure cookers and stuffed in black bags. They were located about 100 yards apart.
A Boston-area federal agent told Yahoo News that he suspects there will be more than one arrest in the case eventually.
"To carry one heavy bag in is one thing, but a single suspect having two bags would have stood out," the law enforcement source told Yahoo News.
This image from a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security joint bulletin issued to law enforcement and obtained by The Associated Press, shows the remains of a black backpack that the FBI says contained one of the bombs that exploded during the Boston Marathon. The FBI says it has evidence that indicates one of the bombs that exploded in the Boston Marathon was contained in a pressure cooker with nails and ball bearings, and it was hidden in a backpack.
Boston Marathon bomb scene pictures taken by investigators show the remains of an explosive device.
Boston Marathon bomb scene pictures taken by investigators show the remains of an explosive device.
