Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Correction!

They are now saying the fire at the JFK Library WAS an explosion, and is most likely related!

I think confusion reigns right now, and most of this will have to be sorted out later.

Hopefully in time to apprehend all responsible...

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:
Looks like the FBI has found an individual with back packs at the trash cans that exploded on surveillance footage.

 Gorskar.da.Lost wrote:
Hmmm. Are there any usual suspects, so to speak, for this kind of thing?

Take any grievance (legitimate or not) that you can think of and take it to its most hateful end and you can have plenty of potential groups/people.

Yeah, I suppose it was kind of a stupid question.
Hmm, well, it's good the FBI is working as fast as it can. With luck, they'll get the results soon.

 Grundz wrote:

 whembly wrote:
feth me... this is horrible:

Spoiler:

Reports are saying that they're loaded with ball bearings...

How the hell would you know that?

ball bearings all over the place, contrary to movies there's a ton of crap thrown all over in an explosion you don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out

Oh well.. .I claim my ignorance on that then...

Sick in my stomach now...

Really, the fire is related now?

It's crazy to watch something like this just unfold and hear the witness reports of what happened.

Mrs S and I were just passing through the neighborhood, possibly minutes before it all went off.

It's mind numbing really, so far 3 fatalities and casualties in or around 30-50. Boston's gone off like a rocket.

JFK library was indeed another bomb, so 3 have detonated and 1 has been located and controlled detonation.

Our thoughts are with the victims and families, and support to the emergency services and response teams.

I hope we know who is responsible quickly, I hope they are found quickly, I hope the justice is delivered with extreme prejudice.

Sorry to see this, I know a few people doing Boston, but I understand they're fine.

People have been told to stay at home and not gather in groups, also cell phone coverage in downtown Boston has been cut off in the event that cell phones were used to detonate the devices to prevent possible further explosions.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Mrs S and I were just passing through the neighborhood, possibly minutes before it all went off.

It's mind numbing really, so far 3 fatalities and casualties in or around 30-50. Boston's gone off like a rocket.

JFK library was indeed another bomb, so 3 have detonated and 1 has been located and controlled detonation.

Our thoughts are with the victims and families, and support to the emergency services and response teams.

I hope we know who is responsible quickly, I hope they are found quickly, I hope the justice is delivered with extreme prejudice.

I know how you feel, my mum and my sisters were two streets away from the spot in Whitehaven where the Cumbria shootings started, just about the time they were kicking off.
It's pretty scary to think how things might have been had events turned out differently, but I'm glad to hear you and the missus are okay.
I second the sentiment; this needs to be responded to with the fullest force of the law.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:
Mrs S and I were just passing through the neighborhood, possibly minutes before it all went off.

It's mind numbing really, so far 3 fatalities and casualties in or around 30-50. Boston's gone off like a rocket.

JFK library was indeed another bomb, so 3 have detonated and 1 has been located and controlled detonation.

Our thoughts are with the victims and families, and support to the emergency services and response teams.

I hope we know who is responsible quickly, I hope they are found quickly, I hope the justice is delivered with extreme prejudice.

Glad to hear you weren't caught up in all that. Hopefully those responsible are caught swiftly.

 reds8n wrote:

don't take long does it eh ?

I could kill this fether with my bare hands. Parasite.

According to the NYP:

A federal law-enforcement source confirmed to The Post there are at least 12 dead and nearly 50 injured. Fox News reported that Massachusetts General Hospital was treating 10 people with amputated limbs and all operating rooms were on hold.

Authorities have a identified a suspect, who is currently being guarded in a Boston hospital with shrapnel wounds.

And oh... feth Alex Jones.

 Gorskar.da.Lost wrote:
Yeah, I suppose it was kind of a stupid question.
Hmm, well, it's good the FBI is working as fast as it can. With luck, they'll get the results soon.

Its not a stupid question, I grew up with that sort of stuff in Northern Ireland were sometimes legitimate grievances were taken to illegitimate conclusions. If you aren't used to that sort of thinking its likely (mercifully) alien to you.

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:

I could kill this fether with my bare hands. Parasite.

I work with people who eat his gak up.

If anybody mentions this I will throat-punch them...

I'm just watching this now, been at work all day, this is the first I've heard of it. Shocking. The BBC are reporting that 3 explosions went off fairly close to one another and that the authorities have shut down the mobile phone network, speculation is that that is to prevent more explosions. The police still havnt used the word 'Bomb' yet but the Boston authorities are freely using the word.

Isn't it Patriots Day in Massachusetts? My guess is a coordinated Terrorist attack, sadly.

The victims are in my thoughts, very sad....

Reports the BBC are getting suggest that the JFK fire is out and that all staff and visitors are safe and accounted for. Hopefully the two incidents are unconnected.

Also... let's not get too hasty here... but according to the NYP a Saudi National is in custody seen fleeing the explosion... he has shrapnel wounds... ???

Also... the authorities has shut down Cell Towers in Boston? Why? To stop further terrorist communication?

If its not too soon, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my hope that the large Irish-American population of Boston revisit their support (if held) for the IRA in light of this incident. This is what terrorism is, this is the sort of thing donations to groups like the IRA and INLA enable in places like Omagh, Brighton and Birmingham - it isn't romantic or heroic freedom-fighting, it's hateful, cowardly and murderous, as was this act.

My thoughts go out to the victims and their families. Do we have any dakkanauts in Boston, incidentally?



Also, it's some North Korean leader's anniversary today. Co-incidence?

Probably shut down the cell towers to a) prevent further communications between the perpetrators and b) to prevent any more remote detonation of bombs. I believe a number of IEDs have been triggered with simple cell signals. Command detonation would make sense too, since the bombs were placed at the finish line and therefore, the perpetrators couldn't have been confident about when a sizeable enough crowd would show up to warrant triggering the device.

 whembly wrote:


Also... the authorities has shut down Cell Towers in Boston? Why? To stop further terrorist communication?

Because bombs can be triggered remotely via cell phone.

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:

 Gorskar.da.Lost wrote:
Yeah, I suppose it was kind of a stupid question.
Hmm, well, it's good the FBI is working as fast as it can. With luck, they'll get the results soon.

Its not a stupid question, I grew up with that sort of stuff in Northern Ireland were sometimes legitimate grievances were taken to illegitimate conclusions. If you aren't used to that sort of thinking its likely (mercifully) alien to you.

Fair enough. Gladly, these kinds of things have passed me by for the most part; still, when it does happen, it shakes you up a hell of a lot.
As I mentioned to MGS, I had family up in Cumbria when the shootings happened, and my grandma lost her best friend in that. I hope, for the sake of the people in Boston, that this is as bad as it gets.
I guess all we can do now is wait and see how things develop, and which scummy sonovagak the FBI hauls out of their hidey-hole and charges with this,

 whembly wrote:
Also... let's not get too hasty here... but according to the NYP a Saudi National is in custody seen fleeing the explosion... he has shrapnel wounds... ???

It is fairly easy to pick up a foreigner and suspect them as the terrorist. I participated in a post 9/11 drill as a victim and found myself strapped on a backboard by first responders and treated like the attacker because I spoke German. There was no terrorist on scene in the drill...

Also... the authorities has shut down Cell Towers in Boston? Why? To stop further terrorist communication?

Some IED use a cell phone as the trigger. Call the phone = bomb goes off.

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
I'm just watching this now, been at work all day, this is the first I've heard of it. Shocking. The BBC are reporting that 3 explosions went off fairly close to one another and that the authorities have shut down the mobile phone network, speculation is that that is to prevent more explosions. The police still havnt used the word 'Bomb' yet but the Boston authorities are freely using the word.

Isn't it Patriots Day in Massachusetts? My guess is a coordinated Terrorist attack, sadly.

The victims are in my thoughts, very sad....

Reports saying first two were attack explosions, third in that area was controlled, there was a fourth at the JFK Library.

It is indeed Patriot's day, wife and I were at Battleship Cove this morning having a wonderful day exploring the old warships and that's why we were travelling back through Boston, Battleship Cove could also easily have been a target. It's been lovely weather and the city was very crowded with families out to see the marathon.

Find those responsible and hang them high. Alive, for the crows.

 whembly wrote:
Also... let's not get too hasty here... but according to the NYP a Saudi National is in custody seen fleeing the explosion... he has shrapnel wounds... ???

Also... the authorities has shut down Cell Towers in Boston? Why? To stop further terrorist communication?

I think they did that to stop anymore explosions, as mobiles are the best way to detonate a bomb these days. That's according to the BBC anyway.

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:

It makes more sense to use ball bearings than shotgun shells, a shotgun shell detonating would cause another smaller explosion after the initial detonation that would disrupt the shockwave.

shotgun shells actually wouldn't detonate, you can throw them right in a fire (DONT DO THIS ANYWAY), bombs are almost always a blasting cap and some electric voodoo to set off the cap and everything else blows off the cap, you can blow up a bomb because unless that cap goes off (generally), the whole thing doesn't work. (in general, unless you're making bombs out of really unstable stuff)

I'm not that sick from the act, it's something we have to deal with as the a free country (which really isn't all that free anymore) I just wish these nuts could target their aggression towards the people actually making their lives miserable instead of innocent people =/

 MeanGreenStompa wrote:

 sarpedons-right-hand wrote:
I'm just watching this now, been at work all day, this is the first I've heard of it. Shocking. The BBC are reporting that 3 explosions went off fairly close to one another and that the authorities have shut down the mobile phone network, speculation is that that is to prevent more explosions. The police still havnt used the word 'Bomb' yet but the Boston authorities are freely using the word.

Isn't it Patriots Day in Massachusetts? My guess is a coordinated Terrorist attack, sadly.

The victims are in my thoughts, very sad....

Reports saying first two were attack explosions, third in that area was controlled, there was a fourth at the JFK Library.

It is indeed Patriot's day, wife and I were at Battleship Cove this morning having a wonderful day exploring the old warships and that's why we were travelling back through Boston, Battleship Cove could also easily have been a target. It's been lovely weather and the city was very crowded with families out to see the marathon.

Find those responsible and hang them high. Alive, for the crows.

Holy gak MGS, really glad you guys are ok! And I agree with your sentiment about the bombers entirely. String 'em up and leave them to rot...

Woah, MGS and Mrs. Stompa are in Boston? Holy gak.

Hope you guys are OK, matey.

 Dreadclaw69 wrote:
News reports are questioning whether the fact that today is Patriot's Day has influenced the attack today, the timing could be more evidence of home grown terrorist(s).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots'_Day

Patriots' Day (officially Patriots' Day in Massachusetts[1] and Patriot's Day in Maine[2]) is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. It is observed on the third Monday in April in Massachusetts

never heard of it.

 Frazzled wrote:
never heard of it.

I had to Google it after the news mentioned it, I'd never heard of it either.

My brother reports the following description from the German media:

"Boston, a charming American small-town..."