MOSCOW, April 18 (RAPSI), Ingrid Burke - Governor Deval Patrick reported moments ago that an order for everyone to remain indoors and not to open their doors for anyone other than officially identified police officers has been expanded to cover all of Boston as well as several surrounding cities, including Watertown, Waltham, Newton, Belmont, and Cambridge.
Police officers initially told reporters that as the manhunt endures, all public transportation has been shut down in Boston. Watertown is under lockdown. No vehicle traffic will be allowed in or out. The police have asked everyone to stay in their houses under lockdown and has urged all businesses to remain shut.
A recent Tweet released by the Boston Police Department reads: “Door-to-door search 4 suspect in Watertown continues. Uniformed officers searching. Community consent critical.”
One suspect was reported dead earlier Friday. Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis confirmed the death of one of the suspects implicated in Monday's Boston Marathon bombing which left three dead and upwards of 176 via his Twitter account Friday, stating simply: "One suspect dead. One at large. Armed and dangerous. White hat suspect at large"
Two blasts occurred at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, America’s most prestigious 26.2 mile race which boasts such stringent entry requirements that only the best of the best are entitled to compete. Three people have been confirmed dead, including an eight-year-old boy present to cheer on his father. The Boston Police Department tweeted in its latest casualty update Tuesday that 176 injured have gone to local hospitals. A large-scale, multi-agency investigation is presently underway.
The suspect's death was reported on the heels of a late-night shootout on the Watertown campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the nation’s most prestigious universities. The Boston Globe reported that witnesses on the scene heard explosions, and that police on the scene were yelling about improvised explosives. The shootout left one MIT police officer dead. The Globe reports that a second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing remains at large near the campus.
Harvard University, located nearby, closed for the day, stating on its website: "Harvard University is closed due to public safety concerns. Please continue to watch this page for updates."
The Boston Police Department tweeted earlier: “There is an active incident ongoing in Watertown. Residents in that area are advised to remain in their homes. More details when available.” Shortly thereafter, the department’s official Twitter account reiterated calls for a lockdown, and urged residents not to answer their doors for anyone other than police: “Residents of Watertown asked to stay indoors. Do not answer door unless instructed by a police officer.”
On Thursday the FBI announced that it had zeroed in on two suspects of the Boston Marathon bombing, and released video and photo footage of the two to the public. In releasing the footage, Special Agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division Richard DesLauriers called on the public to help in the investigation: “Today we are enlisting the public’s help to identify the two suspects.”
The somewhat grainy photos feature two young men with dark hair, both wearing baseball hats and carrying backpacks, as they wander through the crowd of marathon spectators. According to DesLauriers, the man who presently remains at large – seen smiling in most of the shots released to the public – set down a backpack at the site of the second explosion.
On Tuesday, US Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) was treating the crime as an act of terror.
Holder declared, “As President Obama stated earlier today, we are treating this event as an act of terror. This morning, I met with the President and my fellow members of his national security team to discuss our continuing response. Although it is not yet clear who executed this attack, whether it was an individual or group, or whether it was carried out with support or involvement from a terrorist organization – either foreign or domestic – we will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to justice.”
Elaborating on his administration’s rationale in pegging the crime as terrorism from the start, US President Barrack Obama explained at a press briefing Tuesday: “This was a heinous and cowardly act. And given what we now know about what took place, the FBI is investigating it as an act of terrorism. Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror. What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack, or why; whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual."
