No Suspects Yet, But Speculation on Perpetrators of Boston Marathon Bombings Abound
With no official motive or suspects identified in Monday's double bombing of the Boston Marathon to report, some journalists have resorted to speculating on the motive behind the blast that crippled the annual event on Monday.
On Tuesday morning, authorities were pleading with the public for help in identifying the perpetrators.
"No piece of information or detail is too small," the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Boston Division told CNN while asking for information including images from cell phone videos or other media that might provide leads.
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In the absence of any real leads, President Barack Obama also tagged the bombings as a cowardly act of terror and promised retribution on Tuesday as they searched for answers.
"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," President Barack Obama was reported saying Tuesday after a briefing with his national security team. "Anytime bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror."
"We will find whoever harmed our citizens and we will bring them to justice … The American people refuse to be terrorized," he further said in another report.
On Monday night, however, NBC News' Luke Russert speculated that there could be a link between the timing of the recent bombings and the end of the siege on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993.
"I was at Fenway Park w my dad and @mikebarnicle during Waco which was on Patriots Day in 1993. Speculating on possible link," he tweeted.
CNN analyst Wolf Blitzer also caught flack from conservative website Hot Air for speculating on air about any possible connection between the Patriot's Day holiday and the bombings at the marathon.
"One intriguing notion, one intriguing thought here, and I'm curious, Mike, and I'll ask Matt to weigh in as well," Blitzer said. "It is a state holiday, in addition to the Boston Marathon. It is a state holiday in Massachusetts today called Patriots Day, and who knows if that has anything at all to deal – to do with these, these twin explosions," noted Blitzer in the discussion.
"As part of Boston's – Massachusetts, I should say – Patriots Day, did you notice earlier in the day, Matt, any special Patriots Day events going on, anything pointing to a special day in Massachusetts?"
Fox News' Shep Smith also speculated on a connection between the marathon bombings and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 in a live telephone segment with former diplomat R.P. Eddy.
"… We can look back to Columbine … not so much Columbine, but the Oklahoma city building and the events and just wonder …" Smith prompted his guest.
A few moments of silence passed before Eddy responded, "That is an interesting question, Shep. Again, making a supposition at this point is foolish, but I would not be surprised if we find this to be a lone wolf or local group," adding that it was "perhaps something like a Unabomber."
Latest reports indicate that there were 176 casualties from the bombings with 17 persons critical and three persons including an 8-year-old boy killed.
