Boston Marathon finishes with a Bang

[ECSNorway]

NEWS This morning:

* Car with MA plates and "bomb-making materials" spotted in Batavia, NY

* Car driven by two "Russian Nationals" abandoned with four "suspicious backpacks" in Niagara Falls, NY.

*grrrrr*
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[M Fnord]

(summary of events from Something Awful, accurate as of a couple minutes ago)

What We Know
- White Hat is still at large.
- There is a police standoff at a building in Watertown, we do not know why, or who may be inside, reports say police have used megaphones asking person inside to give up and come outside.

Summary: (All Times are EDT)
- Thursday before 10:20pm A 7-11 in Cambridge is robbed by the men believed to be the Boston Marathon bombing suspects.
- 10:20pm An MIT police officer, Sean Collier, 26, was shot and killed while sitting in his squad car, responding to a report of disturbance in Cambridge.
- 11:30pm An armed carjacking by two men took place in the area of Third Street in Cambridge. The victim was held in the car for approximately a half hour
- 12:00am The carjacking victim was released at a gas station on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. He was not injured. Police immediately began searching for the vehicle involved.
- 1:00am Officers from several agencies were involved in a pursuit into Watertown. Gunshots and explosions were heard in the area of Dexter and Laurel streets in Watertown. Explosive devices were reportedly thrown from car by the suspects. The suspects and police also exchanged gunfire in the area of Dexter and Laurel streets. An MBTA police officer was shot and seriously injured during the pursuit.
- One of two Boston Marathon bombing suspects was injured and captured.
- Suspect 2 supposedly ran over his brother while escaping.
- 1:35am The injured Boston Marathon Bombing suspect died at the hospital.
- 2:00am The FBI released new photos of the suspect who remained on the run.
- 8:40am Suspect possibly pinned down in home
- 9:30am Law enforcement still clearing area around possible suspects location
- 10:00am White hat still at large, no word as of yet if the surrounded home is where he might be at
- 10:20am Radio chatter requesting "russian speaking officer"
- 10:20am CT Police were looking for a Honda CRV which may be related, reports indicate it was found and searched, not the suspect.

- The bombers had automatic weapons, grenades, explosives
- One of the bombers (The tall one) was shot multiple times
- Supposedly detonated an explosive device on himself, was pronounced DOA at Beth Israel
- Suspect 1 Confirmed to have had a triggering device
- Suspect 2 from the FBI photos confirmed to have fled on foot

- At some point they managed to steal a State Police truck

- Massive manhunt is ensuing
- A perimeter has been set up around the area where he is believed to be
- The search continues
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[robkelk]

The yahoos are starting to make themselves known... So far today, both the Canadian War Museum and the local CBC broadcast studio have received bomb threats. They closed the museum, just in case. No bomb was found at CBC; they're still looking in the museum. EDIT: The museum's clear.

I really hate folks who think this sort of false alarm is either funny or a good way to get attention.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Jorlem]

Also, UMass Dartmouth is closed today and tomorrow, and the campus has been evacuated, as the surviving suspect is a registered student there. The police are conducting a search there too.
-----
Stand between the Silver Crystal and the Golden Sea.
"Youngsters these days just have no appreciation for the magnificence of the legendary cucumber."  --Krityan Elder, Tales of Vesperia.

[Black Aeronaut]

Been listening to the radio on this on and off today. And the picture I'm beginning to see is heart breaking.

They are brothers. They have had a reputation as being quiet, but friendly and helpful in that give-you-the-coat-right-off-his-own-back kind of way. They are both naturalized citizens of the US. They were both beloved by their family. Their family cannot wrap their heads around what they have done - their Uncle has gone as far to say that they are losers, that they have brought shame to all Chechnyans, and that they should turn themselves in.

The older brother has.... had a wife and a daughter. He was a boxer and competed in a Gold Glove match. He was always helping others out with their technique at the gym.

The younger brother idolized his elder. For all intents, he was practically a perfect son in his family's eyes.

Supposedly, the older brother was growing more and more devout in Islam over recent years... however, non of the major local mosques knew anything about the two brothers. If you are groaning in despair, I can understand why. I was doing so myself.

Why would two people who are such obviously good people, who can obviously see the good in others, who had so many good things going for them, permit themselves to be swayed into doing something so hateful and revolting?

It is times like this that I look at Radical-Extremist Islam... and my only desire is to see each and every one of these bigoted, spiteful, envious, and hypocritical spiritual-bastards spontaneously combust.

[Bob Schroeck]

The 7-11 robbery is now said by the DA's office to be unrelated, and that the carjacking victim escaped rather than was released. And their parents are denying that they could possibly be involved -- even in the shootout -- and that they are being set up.
Edit:  CNN is now broadcasting the police and FBI in the process of surrounding the younger brother, who is holed up in a boat in someone's backyard in Watertown, MA.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[M Fnord]

Well, they got him. And they got him alive to boot. Which honestly surprises me, but that's a side issue.

Hopefully now we can get some answers. What want right now ain't justice, ain't revenge, I just want somebody to sit this kid down and ask "Dude, what the hell?"
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery

FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information

"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"

[Black Aeronaut]

M Fnord wrote:

---

Hopefully now we can get some answers. What want right now ain't justice, ain't revenge, I just want somebody to sit this kid down and ask "Dude, what the hell?"

AGREED.  What the hell indeed!

[Kurisu]

Now that's an interrogation I would love to sit in on...
_____
DEATH is Certain. The hour, Uncertain...

[Pyeknu]

Ditto!  What happened was simply insane and had no rhyme or reason to it.  What's worse, what these two guys did is going to rebound on their countrymen back in Chechnya once V.V. Putin decides to put the screws on extra-hard to the militant separatists there.
Sad, really . . .

[Logan Darklighter]

There are signs that the brothers showed interest in the conflict in Syria, which has drawn al Qaida fighters and other militants from across the Muslim world and Europe, according to a U.S. counterterror official. Like others interviewed for this story, the official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the ongoing case.
The brothers had viewed videos about the plight of Syrian Muslims, the official said. Syria is the latest hotspot on the world map of jihad. Holy warriors a decade ago were inspired by videos about brutal combat between jihadis and Russian troops in the brothers’ family homeland: the predominantly Muslim region of Chechnya, a breeding ground for al Qaida fighters in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Tamerlan had viewed a video titled “I Dedicate My Life to Jihad,” according to a U.S. law enforcement official. The brothers also were apparently influenced by the online Inspire magazine, a slick English-language publication that plays a strong role in disseminating ideological tracts and bomb-making techniques to Western extremists, the U.S. counterterror official said.
"It’s like London, it’s like Madrid in the radicalization,” the counterterror official said. “These guys were produced by the international jihadist machine. The biggest thing is they were individuals willing to die. They were committed. There was interest in events overseas affecting Muslims. And a lot of Internet activity 2014 the things that everyone in the counterterror community worries about."

In Boston, Echoes of the Home Grown Terror That Struck Madrid and London

[Norgarth]

Logan Darklighter wrote:

---

There are signs that the brothers showed interest in the conflict in Syria, which has drawn al Qaida fighters and other militants from across the Muslim world and Europe, according to a U.S. counterterror official. Like others interviewed for this story, the official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the ongoing case.
The brothers had viewed videos about the plight of Syrian Muslims, the official said. Syria is the latest hotspot on the world map of jihad. Holy warriors a decade ago were inspired by videos about brutal combat between jihadis and Russian troops in the brothers’ family homeland: the predominantly Muslim region of Chechnya, a breeding ground for al Qaida fighters in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Tamerlan had viewed a video titled “I Dedicate My Life to Jihad,” according to a U.S. law enforcement official. The brothers also were apparently influenced by the online Inspire magazine, a slick English-language publication that plays a strong role in disseminating ideological tracts and bomb-making techniques to Western extremists, the U.S. counterterror official said.
"It’s like London, it’s like Madrid in the radicalization,” the counterterror official said. “These guys were produced by the international jihadist machine. The biggest thing is they were individuals willing to die. They were committed. There was interest in events overseas affecting Muslims. And a lot of Internet activity 2014 the things that everyone in the counterterror community worries about."

In Boston, Echoes of the Home Grown Terror That Struck Madrid and London

I read that and I can't help but think 'What does setting off bombs at a footrace in Boston have to do with events in Syria?  How can it possibly help the islamics in Syria? (or anywhere else?)'
On a side note, I found this earlier today.
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin

[khagler]

Timote wrote:

I read that and I can't help but think 'What does setting off bombs at a footrace in Boston have to do with events in Syria?  How can it possibly help the islamics in Syria? (or anywhere else?)'

I suspect that even if we're told the justification someday, it still won't make any sense. Remember that guy who blew up the Atlanta Olympics because of abortion?

[Bluemage]

Why don't we just agree that crazies are crazies, no matter what their brand of insanity may be?
Islamic nutbars just have a far higher tendency to go explode in populated areas, while Christian nutbars tend to be self-righteous, offensive, and downright cruel (but less likely to detonate).
...at least religious nutcases tend to be predictable.  I mean, when somebody that barking mental is an atheist, who knows what the heck they'll do?

---

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

[LynnInDenver]

Speaking of crazies, no significant details available, but someone fired several shots at the marijuana rally here in downtown Denver around 5pm.

This week needs to DIAF.
--

"You know how parents tell you everything's going to fine, but you know they're lying to make you feel better? Everything's going to be fine." - The Doctor

[khagler]

Bluemage wrote:

---

...at least religious nutcases tend to be predictable.  I mean, when somebody that barking mental is an atheist, who knows what the heck they'll do?

Become the Unabomber.

[khagler]

It seems there are quite a few people out there who heard that the Boston bombers were born in Chechnya and thought that was the same as the Czech Republic:

http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/48 ... ya-was-the

[Norgarth]

___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin