Open Thread on the Marathon Attack.

My current guess is that this was the work of one or two people who had no external contacts.  If they did, the FBI would have been onto their communications.  pl

Comments

[CK]

Next up a waiting period and background check on all buyers of pressure cookers.
It was the Norks of course.
WALBI all the time.

[no one]

Very sad incident.

Black powder, BBs, pipes or pressure cookers.....simple enough for even a Lanza type to pull off (albeit unknown detonation mechanism - that would be most telling).

This could be the meaningless, yet inevitable, sequel to Newton, Columbine, etc.

[mbrenner]

We have spent a few trillion dollars fighting a GWOT, we have sacrificed tens of thousands of Americans, we have killed untold numbers of a still to be identified "them," we have squandered our prestige and moral standing in the eyes of much of the world, we have betrayed our own civil liberties - all without a single serious threat to the United States being broken up or forestalled. Whoever committed the Boston crime, it is highly unlikely to have been affected one way or another by all of the above - with one conceivable exception: the possible motivation of the person(s) if they were hostile Muslims getting their revenge. Heckuv a job - as someone said.

[William R. Cumming]

I agree with PL and note that the hijackers on 9/11/01 seemed to have superior communications security and discipline.

Evidence of role of Social Media 2.0 discussed at [email protected]

[William R. Cumming]

CORRECTION: idisaster2.0.wordpress.com

[Walrus]

Unkind comparisons have been made with the recent bombings in Iraq, but of course the Iraqis are brown people and a long way away.

http://news.yahoo.com/officials-car-bombs-iraq-kill-9-people-102747903.html

In addition, Do we really think its a good idea to sponsor "insurgents" doing this in Syria?

http://news.sky.com/story/1075246/syria-car-bomb-explodes-in-damascus

Pray that the wisdom of the golden rule might penetrate Washington.

[trooper]

My surmise is that the attack on a more or less undifferentiated mass of Americans, as opposed to a government building, points to more likelihood of al-Qaeda inspired terrorists rather than domestically-motivated ones, who would have been more likely to hit a gov't facility.

[ThomasOfNY]

I was thinking the same about the number. One guy or a small close knit group. I'm guessing the explosives were home made or perhaps black powder. Certainly not ANFO. Does the lack of anyone claiming responsibility say anything?

[Jane]

The thing I am most curious about is the precise timing of the attack. I've heard it suggested that four hours from the initial finish was a time that ensured a lot of people would be injured. On the other hand, this was after Gov. Deval Patrick left. It could also be that the attacker(s) were waiting for something or someone. Or that the timers, if used, were faulty.

[Ed Richards]

Breivik wrote of solo or duo attackers escaping notice by not needing to communicate electronically.

[Alba Etie]

Why has no one or group claimed responsibility for the bombing?

[Townie 76]

Pat, this occurring on Patriots Day and so close to the anniversary of Waco on the Tulsa Federal Courthouse Bombings (19 April) I am inclined to believe that it may the work of a "lone wolf" associated either with the extreme right wing (Posse Comitias, Patriot Movement, Oath Keepers, Aryan Nation etc) or associated with extreme left wing environmentalists groups. Both the extreme right and left in the United States have use bombings and other terrorists acts to get their political message across. What is interesting is thus far no one has taken credit (that we know of!) which makes me wonder if

[turcopolier]

townie 76

It seems to me that the lack of a government target in this case points elsewhere. This is so much like an IED attack that I am thinking of a retribution attack for our actions overseas. the simplicity of the bomb and the lack of desire for attribution are further signs of sophistication in thought. one of the pieces of the pots was marked to show a capacity in the metric system. they should start looking in Canada as well. pl

[William R. Cumming]

Speaking of related issues DoD published a final rule last Friday on Military Support for Civilian Law Enforcement and it encompasses terrorism response and riots and civil disorders.

It will be codified annually in the Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] at 32 CFR Part 182. It follows closely DoD Instruction 3025.1!

[oofda]

Townie,
It also occurred on Tax Day, which is another red flag for right wing extremists. 15 April is close enough to the anniversaries of Waco and the Oklahoma City bombing, as well as Lexington and Concord. Patriot's Day is always on the third Monday in April. So a lot of reason for conjecture on domestic terrorism.

[jr786]

I'm inclined towards the lone nutter with a grudge model. I keep thinking about the venue, and the cruel, tragic irony of so many lower extremity amputations. More damage could have been done at another place, surely.

[ThomasOfNY]

What if any connection with this to the ricin letters? Hell of a coincidence if there is no connection.

[The beaver]

What if this is a disgruntled person who was either injured by an IED in one of the two wars or is close to someone who did die in Iraq or Afghanistan?

This is a msg of what the soldiers have had to face whilst the chicken hawks on Capitol and across the Potomac not discounting their ilks in the media are ready to start another war in that region.

[harry]

To some degree, increase sophistication is in the nature of this activity. Natural selection would imply that stupid terrorists will slowly die off (in many cases literally) and we will be left with a smaller number of smarter terrorists, who have learned from the mistakes of the others. Simplifying attribution may be one of the mistakes of the past.

[harry]

For what little its worth it was also The Day of the Sun in North Korea. Kim Il Sungs birthday.

[Charles I]

"start looking in Canada." . . and then the rest of the planet, Burma and Liberia excepted - because they don't make pressure cookers.

"Most countries have adopted the metric system as their official system of measurement. There are only three countries in the world that do not use the metric system for official measurement. The United States, Burma (Myanmar) and Liberia all depend on older systems of measurements. Within these countries, however, the metric system is often used, especially in scientific and international contexts. Additionally, some other countries do use other measurement systems alongside the metric system."

http://www.ehow.com/about_5336108_countries-dont-use-metric-system.html

Or you could just buy any of a range of lovely Fissler products, conveniently sized in metric(first) and imperial second, described as the best pressure cooker in the U.S.

http://www.fisslerusa.com/sample/2products/index32.php

[mbrenner]

Little is clear except for one instructive lesson: how easy it is to do this sort of thing. That being the case, why nothing like this in 12 years? Obviously the threat (capabilities + will)from al-Qaeda and the like has been enormously exaggerated.

[Mark Logan]

The press is calling them nails and ball bearings, but the picture shows about 1 1/4 light finishing brads and BB's. Smallest stuff he could use? I don't recall seeing that a bomb like these were before.

[The Twisted Genius]

jr786,

The great number of lower extremity injuries and amputations is due to the placement of the bombs. The blast and shrapnel radiated out at ground level. If the bomb was placed a meter higher, like on a bleacher seat, the casualties would have been worse. Consider the effect of the bouncing betty mines in WW II.

[Charles I]

Arrest Imminent?

news.ca.msn.com/canada/boston-bombing-suspect-identified-cnn

Apparently there is video of a suspect coming with and leaving without a backpack.