The FBI says it would like to interview two men seen in at least one video from the Boston Marathon. However, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano hesitated to call them suspects.
Speaking at the House Homeland Security Committee, Secretary
Napolitano did not give details of the men's appearance, but only
said that the video “raised the question.”
Napolitano stressed that it is still unclear whether the bombs were
the work of foreign or domestic terrorists. She said the
investigation is continuing "apace."
“But we need the public’s help in locating those individuals,” she added.
Although there has been at least one leaked set of pictures
published in the New York Post, the government is holding back from
the formal release of the photos.
Earlier there have been a number of news reports claiming that investigators have detected two "possible suspects" captured on video at the site of the Boston bombings that killed three people and injured at least 176 others.
A source told CNN that the authorities “had not yet identified the two men by name and that the photographs were not being released to the public for fear of impeding the investigation.”
Meanwhile, sources familiar with the investigation told The Los Angeles Times that the authorities have allegedly obtained “clear images of the faces of two men with backpacks.”
However, a law enforcement official has confirmed to AP that the authorities have found an image of one potential suspect whose name remains unknown.
According to City Council President Stephen Murphy, one department store video “has confirmed that a suspect is seen dropping a bag near the point of the second explosion and heading off.”
Murphy told AP the investigators “may be on the verge of arresting someone.”
Those contradicting reports have been mushrooming since there had been no official statement from police before Napolitano’s statement.
No suspect has been detained, despite earlier claims by multiple
media reports on the alleged arrest in the Boston Marathon bombing
investigation.
“Contrary to widespread reporting, no arrest has been made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack. Over the past day-and-a-half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting,” an official statement posted on the FBI website informed.
The bombs that detonated injured at least 176 people and killed an eight-year-old boy, a 29-year-old woman, and a Chinese national, a Boston University graduate student, in what appears to be the worst attack since September 11, 2001.
Some 23,000 runners took part in the world-famous race, watched by thousands more spectators. The scene surrounding the tragedy was recorded by surveillance cameras, providing detectives with vital footage of the area before and after the explosions.
The bombs that detonated were probably hidden in large black nylon bags or backpacks, according to the FBI.
Shards of metal, wires and a battery were gathered at the scene along with part of a pressure cooker. It’s believed that the deadly bombs were packed with shrapnel; doctors reported plucking nails and ball bearings from the injured.
A pressure cooker can give extra power to an explosion the same way a pipe bomb works. The sealed pot allows the pressure to build up before it tears it apart and sends the contents flying at high speed.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's special agent in charge in Boston, Richard DesLauriers, the evidence collected at the scene was being reconstructed at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
President Barack Obama has arrived in Boston on Thursday to address an interfaith service following the blasts.
Giving a speech in the Cathedral, Obama paid tribute to those
killed and injured in the twin blasts.
"Every one of us stands with you," he said, before
declaring: "You will run again!"
The public met Obama’s speech with a loud ovation.
The President addressed the perpetrator, saying "We will find
you."