This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/us/boston-investigation-moves-into-third-day.html

The article has changed 12 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 9 Version 10
Investigators Say Video Points to Boston Bomb Suspect Suspicions in Boston Attack Turn to Man Seen in a Video
(about 5 hours later)
BOSTON — Investigators have found video of a man who they believe may have planted the deadly bombs at the Boston Marathon, a person briefed on the matter said Wednesday, saying that they had pinpointed the image on video that was captured shortly before the blast. BOSTON — In the first major break in the hunt for the Boston Marathon bomber, F.B.I. personnel on Wednesday found security video clips that showed a man they believe may have played a role in planting the explosives that killed three people and injured more than 170 on Monday.
The possible break in the case came as investigators pored over scores of videos and photographs that they solicited from surveillance cameras from nearby businesses, smartphone wielding marathon spectators and television crews who were there filming the Boston Marathon when the deadly blasts went off on Monday near the finish line. The revelation of the video was the first sign that the authorities might be moving closer to discovering who was behind the attacks, which killed three people and injured more than 170. The videos also showed at least a handful of others whom the authorities want to question, either because of what they appear to be doing in the video or their proximity to the blasts, a senior law enforcement official said.
As the Boston investigation went into a third day, there were signs that the nation was jittery, and on high alert. New York City officials said there had been an increase in reports of suspicious packages. In Oklahoma City, City Hall was briefly evacuated Wednesday morning as the authorities examined a stolen rental truck that was parked outside, just a few days shy of the anniversary of the 1995 bombing of the nearby Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. (There was no bomb, officials there said.) The official said the authorities were trying to boil down the number of people of interest in the videos and would then decide whether to ask the public’s help in locating them.
In Washington, parts of two Senate office buildings were shut down as officials investigated reports of suspicious letters or packages, and the Secret Service said that a letter addressed to President Obama, containing a suspicious substance, had been intercepted at a screening facility outside the White House. “It’s a crowd, there are a lot of different angles. It is not like some television-produced video — there’s a lot that isn’t clear,” said the official. “But most interpretations support the notion that one man is seen dropping a bag.”
And in Boston, the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse was evacuated in the afternoon by officials calling out “code red,” and bomb-sniffing dogs were sent inside. The official added: “There are several videos with people in them, and we’re looking to talk to more than one guy. It’s still very squishy but there are a lot of interesting people” the authorities want to talk to.
The courthouse was swarming with scores of journalists from around the world, who had been brought there by rumors — reported early Wednesday afternoon by several news organizations but forcefully denied by the F.B.I. and the Boston Police Department — that an arrest had been made in the case. One of those evacuated, Dave Greenup, 58, who works at a restaurant inside the courthouse, said: “For the past couple days, I have been in a daze. All of a sudden, we get this evacuation thing. Every time we turn around now, there’s something. I was really hoping they caught somebody. You want closure.” As news spread of the videos Wednesday afternoon, officials emphatically denied a flurry of news media reports that they had made an arrest. The F.B.I. was still “looking for a name to put with a face in a video,” one law enforcement official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
At about 4:15 p.m., court employees were allowed back into the courthouse. Those denials did not deter hundreds of office workers and reporters from gathering outside the federal courthouse, where they anticipated that a suspect would be arraigned. A midday bomb scare caused the courthouse to be evacuated and created confusion as the crowds were moved far away from the building and it was ringed by police vehicles. By nightfall, no arrest had taken place.
In New York City, the Police Department has received 143 reports of suspicious packages from just after the Boston explosions to midnight on Wednesday, an increase of more than 300 percent over a similar time period last year, the police commissioner, Raymond W. Kelly, said. At Copley Square, the crime scene, several blocks long, remained barricaded as investigators in white hazmat suits scoured the buildings and roofs for pieces of evidence from the two explosions, which occurred at 2:50 Monday afternoon near the finish line of the marathon.
The previously unidentified victim of Monday’s blasts was described Wednesday as a young woman whose ambitions and hard work took her from her rust-belt hometown in northeast China to graduate studies at Boston University. Teams of investigators, including more than 1,000 F.B.I. agents, were tracking possible leads developed on Tuesday after they had discovered remnants from the two bombs.
The woman was identified as Lu Lingzi by a classmate, a Chinese university official and a state-run newspaper in her home city. Ms. Lu, 23, had moved to Boston to study statistics at Boston University after studying international trade at the Beijing Institute of Technology, according to a résumé that was posted online. In her hometown, Shenyang, The Shenyang Evening News, the state-run newspaper that announced her death, darkened its Web site in honor of a “Shenyanger who passed away in a far away place.” Those remnants included: parts of one or two kitchen pressure cookers that had evidently been packed with nails, ball bearings and black powder and used as explosive devices; the torn remains of a dark nylon backpack or duffel bag in which one of the bombs had been hidden; and a circuit board, wires and other parts from timing devices. Investigators hoped to track the items back to where they were sold and compile a list of names or descriptions of the buyers.
The three people killed in the blasts were a cross-section of Boston, brought together seemingly at random to watch one the city’s proud traditions, the marathon. There was Ms. Lu, one of the thousands of international students drawn to the area’s universities. There was Martin Richard, a vivacious 8-year-old third grader from a well-loved family in Dorchester, a tight-knit community. And there was Krystle Campbell, 29, of Arlington, Mass., a hard-working woman known for her sense of humor who had started working at restaurants as a waitress in high school and now worked as a restaurant manager. Boston prepared to mourn them at a service with President Obama on Thursday. A piece of the lid of one of the pressure cookers was found on a rooftop near the blast, a law enforcement official said on Wednesday — giving a sense of the tremendous force of the explosion.
More surgeries were scheduled for Wednesday for the victims of the bomb blasts, including eight at Boston Medical Center, officials said. The possible break in the case came as investigators scrutinized scores of videos and photographs from surveillance cameras from nearby businesses, as well as from marathon spectators’ smartphones and television crews that were filming the Boston Marathon when the deadly blasts went off. So far, no one has taken responsibility for the explosions.
A 5-year-old boy remained in critical condition Wednesday at Boston Medical Center, Dr. Peter Burke, the chief of trauma services at the hospital said at a morning briefing. He was one of 19 patients who remain there, he said, and one of two who were in critical condition — down from 10 who were in critical condition on Tuesday. As the investigation went into a third day, there were signs of jitters around the nation, which was on high alert. New York City officials said there had been an increase in reports of suspicious packages. In Oklahoma City, the scene of a devastating bombing in 1995, City Hall was briefly evacuated Wednesday morning as the authorities examined a stolen rental truck that was parked outside. (There was no bomb, officials there said.)
“I’m very optimistic,” Dr. Burke said, adding that it was possible that another patient or two could be discharged Wednesday. “I will not be happy until they’re all home,” he said. In Washington, parts of two Senate office buildings were shut down as officials investigated reports of suspicious letters or packages, and the Secret Service said that a letter addressed to President Obama contained a suspicious substance. It was intercepted at a screening facility outside the White House, and federal agents arrested a suspect Wednesday evening.
Three children who were injured in the blast remained at Boston Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, the hospital announced: a 2-year-old boy with a head injury was listed in good condition, while a 10-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl, both with leg injuries, were in critical condition. The police in New York received 143 reports of suspicious packages between Monday afternoon, just after the Boston explosions, and midnight on Tuesday. This was an increase of more than 300 percent over a similar time period last year, Raymond W. Kelly, the police commissioner, said.
A piece of the lid of one of the pressure cookers that investigators believe were used as explosive devices in the bombings was found on a rooftop near the blast, a law enforcement official said on Wednesday — giving a sense of the tremendous force of the explosion. Law enforcement officials said that the bombs were most likely rudimentary devices made from ordinary kitchen pressure cookers, except they were rigged to shoot sharp bits of shrapnel into anyone within reach of their blast and maim them severely, law enforcement officials said Tuesday. And in Boston, the John Joseph Moakley United States Court House was evacuated in the afternoon as officials called out “code red” and bomb-sniffing dogs were sent inside.
The pressure cookers were filled with nails, ball bearings and black powder, and the devices were triggered by “kitchen-type” egg timers, one official said. The courthouse was swarming with scores of journalists from around the world, who had flocked there because of rumors — reported early Wednesday afternoon by several news organizations but forcefully denied by the F.B.I. and the Boston Police Department — that an arrest had been made in the case or was imminent.
The resulting explosions sent metal tearing through skin and muscle, destroying the lower limbs of some victims who had only shreds of tissue holding parts of their legs together when they arrived at the emergency room of Massachusetts General Hospital, doctors there said. One of those evacuated, Dave Greenup, 58, who works at a restaurant inside the courthouse, reflected the anxiety caused by the bombings. “For the past couple days, I have been in a daze,” he said. “All of a sudden, we get this evacuation thing. Every time we turn around now, there’s something. I was really hoping they caught somebody. You want closure.”
Law enforcement officials said the devices were probably hidden inside dark nylon duffel bags or backpacks and left on the street or sidewalk near the finish line. Forensic experts said that the design and components of the homemade devices were generic but that the marking “6L,” indicating a six-liter container, could help identify a brand and manufacturer and possibly lead to information on the buyer. Court employees were allowed back into the courthouse at 4:15 p.m. No bomb was found there.
Details about the explosives emerged as Mr. Obama announced that the F.B.I. was investigating the attack as “an act of terrorism,” and made plans to travel to Boston on Thursday for an interfaith service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Boston prepared to mourn the victims at an interfaith church service on Thursday morning at the Cathedral of Holy Cross. President Obama and his wife, Michelle, were scheduled to attend.
But officials said they still had no suspects in custody and did not give the impression that they were close to making an arrest as they repeatedly noted that the investigation was in its infancy. The three people killed in the blasts represented a cross-section of Boston, brought together seemingly at random to watch one of the city’s proud traditions, the 117th marathon. There was Lu Lingzi, 23, from China, a graduate student at Boston University and one of the thousands of international students drawn to the area’s universities. There was Martin Richard, a vivacious 8-year-old third grader from a well-loved family in Dorchester, a tight-knit community. And there was Krystle Campbell, 29, of Arlington, Mass., a woman known for her sense of humor who had started working at restaurants as a waitress in high school and worked as a restaurant manager.
“The range of suspects and motives remains wide open,” Richard DesLauriers, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.'s Boston office, said at a televised briefing on Tuesday afternoon. And, he added, no one has claimed responsibility. If investigators in Boston can find a facial image of sufficient quality from the videos, it could provide a powerful lead.
At this stage of an inquiry, officials said it was not unusual for there to be no suspects. But with the paucity of leads, Mr. DesLauriers and others pleaded with members of the public to submit any photographs or video they may have taken at the blast site to help in the investigation. At the briefing, Mr. DesLauriers said that someone somewhere almost certainly heard a mention of the marathon or the date of April 15. The F.B.I. has been working for several years to create a facial recognition program, and the video of a suspect or suspects could be matched against the bureau’s database of mug shots of about 12 million people who have been arrested, officials said.
“Someone knows who did this,” he said. “Cooperation from the community will play a crucial role.” If there is no match, investigators can hunt for the suspects’ images in the voluminous videos and photographs from the bombing site that were submitted by members of the public in response to an F.B.I. appeal. That is still a technically difficult task, because the software is most accurate with head-on facial images and can be thrown off even by a smile, specialists said on Wednesday.
Officials said they had received more than 2,000 tips from around the world. As marathoners left through Logan Airport on Tuesday, security personnel reminded them of the importance of sharing their pictures with the F.B.I. Still, “it’s vastly superior to just watching the video,” said Al Shipp, chief executive officer of 3VR Inc., a company that sells video analytics software. “You can sort through years of video in seconds. That’s the game changer.”
Counterterrorism specialists said the authorities would aim to match the faces of any possible suspects, using facial recognition software, against an array of databases for visas, passports and drivers’ licenses. “It’s our intention to go through every frame of every video that we have to determine exactly who was in the area,” Edward Davis, the Boston police commissioner, said at the news briefing. “This was probably one of the most well-photographed areas in the country yesterday.” By piecing together more images of suspects and their movements, the F.B.I. might be able to come up with a name. Even without a name, Mr. Shipp said, investigators could program multiple cameras at airports and elsewhere with the suspects’ images so the cameras would send an alert to them if someone resembling the suspect passed by.
Given the force of the blasts, doctors at area hospitals said that the death toll could have been much higher but that the triage teams at the blast site had done a good job of sending the victims to the hospitals capable of handling them. While investigators have focused on the images of the possible suspect, they are continuing to pursue a broad range of other avenues, one law enforcement official said.
“The distribution worked wonderfully,” said Dr. Stephen K. Epstein, attending emergency physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “It was very easy to match the number of patients to the resources available at each of the hospitals.” “We try not to get tunnel vision about it,” the official said, adding, “we’re working a lot of other possibilities.”
The scale of the attack and the crude nature of the explosives, coupled with the lack of anyone claiming to have been the perpetrator, suggested to experts that the attacker could be an individual or a small group rather than an established terrorist organization. The process, the official said, can be a painstaking one. Once an image like that of a potential suspect is identified, investigators and analysts will seek to track the person in the image, both back in time and forward, seeking other images — photographs and videos — from other sources, looking for different angles and lighting.
“This could have been a one-person job,” said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism specialist at Georgetown University. “That makes it much harder to track. When we catch terrorists, it’s usually because they’re part of a conspiracy and they’re communicating with one another.” Using the universe of video and still images being compiled for the investigation, they will also try to see where the person came from before he or she was captured in the initial image, and where he or she went, the official said.
“It will have to go through a many tests to see what they can glean further and identify where it was produced and sold, and then look at it forensically,” a law enforcement official said. Officials said on Tuesday that evidence from the scene was being shipped to labs in Quantico, Va. Fox News showed pictures that it said were from the crime scene that showed a chunk of a somewhat pulverized stainless steel pressure cooker, with its UL number visible. Dan L. Vogel, a retired F.B.I. agent and former profiler for the bureau, said that if a suspect is not identified quickly, investigators might put the security video images of the suspect or suspects out to the public in the hope that someone would recognize them. “The only reason not to put it out is they’ll get so many calls that it will take a huge amount of time away from the investigation,” Mr. Vogel said.
Steven Bartholomew, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said that the blast was powerful enough to toss debris on top of buildings. “Some of that debris got projected on top of buildings, and embedded in buildings in that finish line area, so that tells us we have a lot of work to do,” Mr. Bartholomew said. Appealing to the public would most likely put more pressure on the suspect. “He’d get nervous and turn himself in, or he could go to ground,” said Philip Mudd, a former senior C.I.A. and F.B.I. official. “But having several million people looking for him outweighs any downside.”

Katharine Q. Seelye reported from Boston, and Michael Cooper from New York. Reporting was contributed by John Eligon, Mary Pilon, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Jess Bidgood from Boston; Scott Shane, Eric Schmitt, Mark Landler and Michael S. Schmidt from Washington;  William K. Rashbaum and Wendy Ruderman from New York; and Chris Buckley in Hong Kong.

Simultaneously, said Chris Westphal, an author on investigative software and consultant to law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the F.B.I. is likely compiling data from license-plate readers, which are now often located on police cars as well as tow trucks and even finance company vehicles. On the theory that the bomber would have surveyed the marathon finish line repeatedly in advance of the race, investigators might collect license tag numbers for vehicles that cruised the area in the days before the race and obtain drivers license photos for the owners.
“Right now it’s got to be a shotgun approach,” casting a wide net and following numerous possible chains of evidence, said Mr. Westphal, of Visual Analytics Inc. in Frederick, Md. “It’s an overwhelming task.”
In the meantime, amateur crime-solvers emerged on the online community Reddit, where a “findbostonbombers” message board popped up early on Wednesday. Hundreds of Reddit users combed through photographs and videos of Boylston Street, looking for suspicious people and packages while simultaneously marking other people as innocent.
Some of the users tried to cross-reference an F.B.I. photo of a shredded backpack found at the scene of the bombings with backpack-carrying people in the crowd around the finish line of the marathon. Other users singled out people who appeared to flee from the scene after the explosions.
Before long the most popular message was titled “Does anyone remember Richard Jewell?,” a reference to the security guard at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta who was wrongly cast as a suspect after a bomb blast there.

Katharine Q. Seelye reported from Boston, and Scott Shane and Michael S. Schmidt from Washington. Reporting was contributed by John Eligon, Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Jess Bidgood in Boston; Michael Cooper, William K. Rashbaum and Brian Stelter in New York; and Eric Schmitt in Washington.