2013 Boston Marathon bombings

Coordinates: 42°20′59.2″N 71°04′44.1″W / 42.349778°N 71.078917°W / 42.349778; -71.078917
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Boston Marathon bombings
Aftermath of the twin blasts
LocationNear Copley Square, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates42°20′59.2″N 71°04′44.1″W / 42.349778°N 71.078917°W / 42.349778; -71.078917
DateApril 15, 2013 (2013-04-15)
2:49 p.m. EDT (UTC−04:00)
Attack type
Bombing, terrorism
WeaponsPressure cooker bombs[1]
Deaths3
Injured
264

The Boston Marathon bombings were a terrorist attack that happened during the 2013 Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. At 2:49 PM EDT, two bombs exploded thirteen seconds apart near the finish line.[2][3][4] Three people were killed and an estimated 264 people were injured.[5] The windows of stores near the explosions were broken, and a window on the third floor of the Boston Public Library, across the street from the site of one of the explosions, was damaged.[6]

Explosion[change | change source]

At the time of the first traumatic explosion, the clock at the finish line showed a time of 04:09:43.[7] This was within minutes of the time that the most runners were crossing the finish line during the 2013 Boston Marathon. The winning runners had crossed the finish line two hours earlier, and other runners were finishing.[8] The remaining runners were directed away from the finish line.[9]

Before the explosion

The Federal Aviation Administration stopped all airplanes from departing Boston's Logan International Airport for almost two hours.[10] The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston's transit system, had some service shut down after the bombings.[11]

Response[change | change source]

In response to the bombings, security was increased in New York City. Counter-terrorism vehicles were sent to landmark sites in the city. Security was increased at Times Square, hotels, and other places.[12] Security was also increased in Washington D.C., where the White House was partially evacuated.[13] Pennsylvania Avenue was closed off by the United States Secret Service. In Chicago, all of the city's most important streets and buildings were also closed and inspected.

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, addressed the nation several hours after the bombings.[14] He said that while the people behind the bombings were still not known, the government would "get to the bottom of this.",[15] and that those people would feel "the full weight of justice."[16] The President addressed the nation again the next day. He later described the bombings as an act of terrorism, saying that "Any times bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror."[17]

Aftermath[change | change source]

The day after the bombings, a moment of silence was held at the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, and the New York Mercantile Exchange. Other events across the country also held moments of silence.

During a news conference on April 18, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released video and pictures of two possible suspects to the public, asking them to help identify the suspects in the video and pictures.[18][19] The FBI reported that one of the men was seen placing a backpack at the scene of the bombings minutes before they happened.[20]

Captured[change | change source]

President Barack Obama having a meeting shortly after the bombing

On the evening of April 18, a shooting happened on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 10:48 PM EDT.[21] Multiple shots were fired.[22] One police officer at the scene died after being shot multiple times.[23] After killing the police officer, the suspects stole a silver Mercedes-Benz SUV in Cambridge. They forced the owner to use his ATM card to take out $800 in cash.[24] They released him after the ATM reached its limit. The owner's cell phone was still in the car, allowing police to locate the suspects.[25] Police exchanged gunfire with the two suspects in Watertown.[26] One police officer was very badly hurt while exchanging gunfire with the suspects.[27] The Boston Globe reported that the suspects were the same men that the FBI were looking for in the aftermath of the Marathon bombings.[21] One of the suspects, 26-year old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died of his injuries.[28] The other suspect, 19-year old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was "still at large," according to law enforcement officials.[29] On the morning of April 19, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick asked the city of Boston to "shelter in place." This meant that people should stay inside and not open their doors to anyone other than police officers with proper identification cards. As a result, the entire transit system of Boston, as well as taxi service, was shut down.[30]

Later that evening, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken into custody. He had hidden in a boat in the backyard of a property on 67 Franklin St. in Watertown and was spotted by a man checking on his boat.[31] He was taken into custody alive, but very badly hurt after a standoff with police.[32]

On April 22, Dzhokar was charged with using and planning to use a weapon of mass destruction to cause death and with destruction of property resulting in death.[33][34] On May 15, 2015, a jury sentenced Dzhokhar to death by lethal injection.[35]

References[change | change source]

  1. Vinograd, Cassandra; Dodds, Paisley (April 16, 2013). "AP Glance: Pressure Cooker Bombs". Associated Press. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  2. "Explosions rock Boston Marathon, several injured". CNN. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  3. Golen, Jimmy (April 15, 2013). "Two explosions at Boston marathon finish line". AP Newswire. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  4. "FBI releases video, photos of Boston Marathon bombing suspects". Fox News.
  5. "Injury toll from Marathon bombs reduced to 264". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  6. Eligon, John; Cooper, Michael (15 April 2013). "Boston Marathon Blasts Kill 3 and Maim Dozens". New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  7. ""Explosions at Boston Marathon Injure Dozens"". The National Post. April 15, 2013.
  8. McClam, Erin (April 15, 2013). "Explosions rock finish of Boston Marathon; 2 killed and at least 23 hurt, police say". NBC News. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  9. "Boston Marathon Explosion Video Footage (GRAPHIC VIDEO, LIVE UPDATES)". Huffingtonpost.com. 15 April 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  10. NBC News via Twitter
  11. "Due to police activity, the Green Line is terminating service between Kenmore and Park Street Stations and temporarily suspending B- and C-Line service. Orange and Red Line service will bypass Downtown Crossing Station.", MBTA website
  12. "Boston Marathon Blasts Kill 2, Police Say". New York Times. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  13. Levs, Josh (April 15, 2013). "Deadly bombs strike Boston Marathon; authorities discover more bombs". CNN. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  14. "As it happened: Boston Marathon explosions". BBC News. 16 April 2013.
  15. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2013/04/15/boston-marathon-explosion.html
  16. "Boston Marathon bomb blasts kill 2, injure dozens". CBC News. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
  17. "President Obama calls the Boston Marathon bombings 'an act of terror'". The Daily News. NY, US. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  18. FBI (Apr 18, 2013). "Updates on Investigation Into Multiple Explosions in Boston — Video and Photos Released in Bombings Case". The FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
  19. CNN, By Matt Smith and Thom Patterson (18 April 2013). "FBI: Help us ID Boston bomb suspects". CNN. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  20. "F.B.I. Releases Images of Two Suspects in Boston Attack". The New York Times. April 18, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
  21. 21.0 21.1 Shelley Murphy, Milton J. Valencia, Wesley Lowery, Akilah Johnson, Eric Moskowitz, Lisa Wangsness and John R. Ellement (April 19, 2013). "Search for marathon bombing suspect locks down Watertown, surrounding communities". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 19, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link); originally titled "Chaos in Cambridge, Watertown after fatal shooting".
  22. MIT Emergency Information April 19, 2013
  23. Haven, Stephanie (April 19, 2013). "Officer killed in MIT standoff identified as Sean Collier, 26". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  24. Finn, Peter; Leonnig, Carol D; Englund, Will (April 19, 2013). "Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were refugees from brutal Chechen conflict". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  25. "Police chief: Boston manhunt began with intense firefight in dark street". CNN. 20 April 2013.
  26. Seelye, Katharine Q. (19 April 2013). "Explosives Detonated in Massachusetts Standoff". The New York Times.
  27. "MBTA Police Officer Shot While Chasing Bombing Suspects". WBZ. April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  28. Sullivan, Eileen; Barr, Meghan; Zezima, Katie (April 19, 2013). "Boston Bombing Suspect ID'ed as Cambridge Man". WGGB-TV. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  29. "One Boston Marathon bombing suspect is dead, another on the run". Fox 19. April 19, 2013. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  30. "Search for marathon bombing suspect locks down Watertown, surrounding communities". The Boston Globe.
  31. McCarthy, Tom; Owen, Paul; Murray, Warren; Weaver, Matthew (20 April 2013). "Boston bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev captured – as it happened". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  32. "Boston Marathon Suspect Taken into Custody". ABC News.
  33. Dzhokar Tsarnaev charged with conspiring to use weapon of mass destruction against persons and property in U.S. resulting in death - U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts official Twitter
  34. "United States vs. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Case 1:13-mj-02106-MBB" (PDF). United States Department of Justice. April 21, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  35. "Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: Boston Marathon bomber found guilty". BBC News. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.

Other websites[change | change source]