Some areas of downtown Boston reopen Tuesday
Doctors at two of Boston’s major hospitals said today that objects appeared to have been intentionally placed into the Boston Marathon bombs to inflict shrapnel wounds on the victims, underscoring the viciousness of an attack that killed three people and injured 176 others, including 17 who are still in critical condition.
The metal fragments found in Marathongoers — 20 pieces, or 30 or more in some people — are too uniform, Dr. George Velmahos, trauma chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, said during a morning press conference. They look like pellets or nails, something meant to do harm.
“My opinion is that most of them were in the bomb,” Velmahos said. “I think it’s unlikely they would be so consistent if they were pulled out from the environment.”
Dr. Ron Walls, an emergency physician from Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, also said items were removed from several patients that “clearly were designed to be projectiles that were built into the device.” He described the items as small ball bearings and nails.
A federal investigator who responded to the bombings also said authorities have recovered shrapnel that appears to be ball bearings or BBs.
“Anything can cause shrapnel, even a soda can nearby, but it appears this was prepared shrapnel,’’ said the investigator, who insisted on anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation.
“There appears to be beyond the normal stuff. It looks like the device was prepared with it.” He said agents were collecting evidence and taking it to the Hynes Convention Center.
Today, the Associated Press said they had been told by a person briefed on the investigation that the two bombs were hidden inside black duffel bags and were made of a 6-liter pressure cookers.
The revelations about the shrapnel came as law enforcement officials renewed their pleas this morning to the public to provide them with video and photographic evidence that could provide clues in the two bombings 12 seconds apart at the Boston Marathon finish line shortly before 3 p.m. Monday.
“I would encourage you to bring forward anything. You might not think it’s significant, but it might have some value to this investigation,” said Colonel Timothy Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.
Officials at a news conference at the Westin Copley Place hotel pledged to bring justice to whoever detonated the bombs.
“This will be a worldwide investigation. We will go to the ends of the earth to find the subject or subjects responsible for this despicable crime,” said Richard DesLauriers, the special agent in charge of the Boston FBI office.
President Obama, speaking to reporters at the White House this morning, called the attacks a “heinous and cowardly act” and said that the FBI was investigating it as an act of terrorism.”
“We will find whoever harmed our citizens and we will bring them to justice,” he said.
He lauded the stories of first responders and ordinary people racing to people’s aid with “heroism, and kindness, and generosity, and love.”
“The American people refuse to be terrorized,” he said. “If you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that’s it — selflessly, compassionately, unafraid.”
A host of Massachusetts law enforcement officials and political leaders, including the mayor, the governor, and the state’s two US senators, appeared at the Westin Copley Place news conference. Officials there emphasized that, contrary to rumors and reports on Monday, no other explosive devices had been found on Monday. DesLauriers also said “there are no known additional threats.”
But the officials also said that a major investigation was underway, with local and state authorities getting the full backing of the federal government, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
They asked people for their cooperation as investigators fan out over the area, interviewing witnesses, and they asked for the public’s patience as security is stepped up and experts process the expansive crime scene in the Copley Square area, where the blasts occurred.
“We want people to come and go. We want you to live your life,” said Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis. But at the same time, he said, “We want you to be vigilant ... give us a little room in the Copley Square area.”
DesLauriers of the FBI, whose agency is leading the probe, released few details on what investigators have learned so far about the blasts and what they have learned from witnesses. “We are interviewing a variety of witnesses right now in a variety of locations,” he said.
He had no comments on the contents of the bombs.
Officials at the news conference also thanked the police, firefighters, emergency medical workers, volunteers, and doctors and nurses who aided people.
DesLauriers commended the public for its assistance so far, saying authorities had received “voluminous tips.”
“Assistance from the public remains critical,” he said.
Davis asked the public to send authorities any photos or video from around the time of the blast, particularly in the area and particularly just before and after the bombs exploded. “Those are going to be critical,” he said.
At South Station this morning, heightened security was in full force. Amtrak passengers were met by police with a bomb-sniffing dog who strolled alongside passengers. Baggage was swabbed by police and put through an explosives-detecting scanner before passengers were allowed to board. National Guardsmen were on the Red Line platform and MBTA Transit Police toted large weapons.
Overnight, a wave of law enforcement officials swarmed a home in Revere, looking at what the Revere Fire Department described as a “person of interest,’’ but no arrests were reported this morning and DesLauriers had no comment at the news conference on whether that had led to progress in the investigation.
No arrests have been reported this morning.
Scott Allen, Brian Ballou, Andrew Ryan, Steven A. Rosenberg, Akilah Johnson of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Evan Allen contributed to this report. John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter@JREbosglobe.
Doctors at two of Boston’s major hospitals said today that objects appeared to have been intentionally placed into the Boston Marathon bombs to inflict shrapnel wounds on the victims, underscoring the viciousness of an attack that killed three people and injured 176 others, including 17 who are still in critical condition.
The metal fragments found in Marathongoers — 20 pieces, or 30 or more in some people — are too uniform, Dr. George Velmahos, trauma chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, said during a morning press conference. They look like pellets or nails, something meant to do harm.
“My opinion is that most of them were in the bomb,” Velmahos said. “I think it’s unlikely they would be so consistent if they were pulled out from the environment.”
Dr. Ron Walls, an emergency physician from Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, also said items were removed from several patients that “clearly were designed to be projectiles that were built into the device.” He described the items as small ball bearings and nails.
A federal investigator who responded to the bombings also said authorities have recovered shrapnel that appears to be ball bearings or BBs.
“Anything can cause shrapnel, even a soda can nearby, but it appears this was prepared shrapnel,’’ said the investigator, who insisted on anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the investigation.
“There appears to be beyond the normal stuff. It looks like the device was prepared with it.” He said agents were collecting evidence and taking it to the Hynes Convention Center.
Today, the Associated Press said they had been told by a person briefed on the investigation that the two bombs were hidden inside black duffel bags and were made of a 6-liter pressure cookers.
The revelations about the shrapnel came as law enforcement officials renewed their pleas this morning to the public to provide them with video and photographic evidence that could provide clues in the two bombings 12 seconds apart at the Boston Marathon finish line shortly before 3 p.m. Monday.
“I would encourage you to bring forward anything. You might not think it’s significant, but it might have some value to this investigation,” said Colonel Timothy Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.
Officials at a news conference at the Westin Copley Place hotel pledged to bring justice to whoever detonated the bombs.
“This will be a worldwide investigation. We will go to the ends of the earth to find the subject or subjects responsible for this despicable crime,” said Richard DesLauriers, the special agent in charge of the Boston FBI office.
President Obama, speaking to reporters at the White House this morning, called the attacks a “heinous and cowardly act” and said that the FBI was investigating it as an act of terrorism.”
“We will find whoever harmed our citizens and we will bring them to justice,” he said.
He lauded the stories of first responders and ordinary people racing to people’s aid with “heroism, and kindness, and generosity, and love.”
“The American people refuse to be terrorized,” he said. “If you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that’s it — selflessly, compassionately, unafraid.”
A host of Massachusetts law enforcement officials and political leaders, including the mayor, the governor, and the state’s two US senators, appeared at the Westin Copley Place news conference. Officials there emphasized that, contrary to rumors and reports on Monday, no other explosive devices had been found on Monday. DesLauriers also said “there are no known additional threats.”
But the officials also said that a major investigation was underway, with local and state authorities getting the full backing of the federal government, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
They asked people for their cooperation as investigators fan out over the area, interviewing witnesses, and they asked for the public’s patience as security is stepped up and experts process the expansive crime scene in the Copley Square area, where the blasts occurred.
“We want people to come and go. We want you to live your life,” said Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis. But at the same time, he said, “We want you to be vigilant ... give us a little room in the Copley Square area.”
DesLauriers of the FBI, whose agency is leading the probe, released few details on what investigators have learned so far about the blasts and what they have learned from witnesses. “We are interviewing a variety of witnesses right now in a variety of locations,” he said.
He had no comments on the contents of the bombs.
Officials at the news conference also thanked the police, firefighters, emergency medical workers, volunteers, and doctors and nurses who aided people.
DesLauriers commended the public for its assistance so far, saying authorities had received “voluminous tips.”
“Assistance from the public remains critical,” he said.
Davis asked the public to send authorities any photos or video from around the time of the blast, particularly in the area and particularly just before and after the bombs exploded. “Those are going to be critical,” he said.
At South Station this morning, heightened security was in full force. Amtrak passengers were met by police with a bomb-sniffing dog who strolled alongside passengers. Baggage was swabbed by police and put through an explosives-detecting scanner before passengers were allowed to board. National Guardsmen were on the Red Line platform and MBTA Transit Police toted large weapons.
Overnight, a wave of law enforcement officials swarmed a home in Revere, looking at what the Revere Fire Department described as a “person of interest,’’ but no arrests were reported this morning and DesLauriers had no comment at the news conference on whether that had led to progress in the investigation.
No arrests have been reported this morning.
No hay comentarios.:
Publicar un comentario