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[UPDATE] Boston Marathon Bombing Investigation Attracts Amateur Reddit Sleuths
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 17, 2013
Modified Apr 17, 2013
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By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 17, 2013
Modified Apr 17, 2013
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[UPDATE: CNN reports that a suspect has been identified, and the AP reports that an arrest is imminent. More to come.] The FBI is sifting through hundreds of images gathered in connection to the Boston Marathon bombing on Monday, which killed three people and wounded more than 170. Yesterday chilling before-and-after photos surfaced (see above), showing what appears to be an unattended bag moments before one of the explosions erupted. The bag can be seen next to a mailbox and a barricade separating a crowd of spectators from the street. Forensic analysts are also inspecting pieces of black nylon from a bag or backpack and fragments of BBs and nails that exploded from what appear to be 6-liter pressure cookers.
Richard DesLauriers, the FBI agent in charge in Boston, told reporters yesterday, "The range of suspects and motives remains wide open. [We will] go to the ends of the Earth to identify the subject or subjects who are responsible for this despicable crime." Officials have cautioned that the investigation could take a long time, and there are currently no suspects or persons of interest. Meanwhile, the Internet-savvy nerds on Reddit trying to beat the FBI to the punch.
On the Reddit thread Find Boston Bombers, users are poring over photographs and debating possible suspects seen in the crowd before the bombs went off. One thread focuses on the exploded straps of backpack found at the scene, theorizing that they may have belonged to one of the bystanders. Another thread attempts to analyze the leftover scraps of bomb components.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Roy Parker, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives agent who developed the agency’s explosives training program, tells the Boston Globe the circuit board found at the scene would be the "key to determining whether it was a timer or remote control device. You’re looking for a needle in a haystack, but the needle is there. If you look long enough, you’ll get stuck with it. This is not an unsolvable crime.”
Tagged
boston marathon
boston marathon explosions
terrorism
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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