Boston Marathon bombing: does internet sleuthing help?

On Wednesday, the FBI issued photos of the remains of pressure cookers which were used to house the bombs. But there have been conflicting reports of any further progress in the investigation into the bombings.

CCTV footage

Investigators are said to have identified a suspect in CCTV footage from a department store opposite the site of the bombings which killed three and injured hundreds. However these reports remain unconfirmed.

A widely repeated report that a suspect had been arrested over the bombings and is expected in a federal court, was later dismissed by law enforcement authorities, with the Boston police department taking to twitter to emphasise the point.

Despite reports to the contrary there has not been an arrest in the Marathon attack.

— Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 17, 2013

Investigators have searched through thousands of pieces of evidence from mobile phone pictures to shrapnel shards pulled from the bodies of victims.

Based on the evidence gathered – including metal, fabric, wires and batteries – the focus is on whoever may have made bombs in pressure cookers and taken them in heavy black nylon bags to the finish line.

Boston’s Boylston Street remained closed as investigators searched for further clues in the worst attack on US soil since September 11.

Public help requested

The FBI launched an appeal on Tuesday for public help to find those behind the Boston Marathon bombing, and internet users have risen to the challenge, with many working to crowdsource information and try to find the suspects.

Such an approach has proved fruitful in the past. In recent weeks online activists Anonymous helped to find the suspects in a high-profile rape case in the US. Police had closed the case but Anonymous were able to source new testimony.

However crowdsourcing has some obvious drawbacks.

Ms Marple or inspector Clouseau?

Since the Boston attack on Monday users of the internet website Reddit have been scouring photos from the scene in search of clues, in the process they have posted pictures clearly identifying “suspects” with little evidence to back up their case.

A sub-section of the site called FindBostonBombers has seen hundreds of users posting pictures of backpacks, finding suspicious people in the crowds and recreating the events.

The site is filled with pictures with no attempt to protect the identity of their “suspects”, showing people holding backpacks around the site of the finishing line in the hours leading up to the blast.

One user warned; “This sub is dedicated to pointing to random people in a crowd photograph and declaring your suspicions” adding ” You’re starting the trial by public aspect”.

Separately, users from 4Chan, the website that gave birth to the Anonymous movement, posted a series of pictures analysing the scenes. One crudely labelled a spectator “alone, brown, black backpack, not watching”.

Jumping to conclusions

A Saudi national questioned on Monday has been confirmed as a witness rather than a suspect – media reports had speculated on his involvement after his apartment was searched.

Elsewhere conspiracy theorists have swamped the web with wild speculation leading to Fox removing a recent episode of Family Guy that depicted scenes from the Boston Marathon.

A widely circulated clip that edited different parts of the episode together claimed it “predicted” the events of Monday. Programme creator Seth MacFarlane called the conspiracy theorists “abhorrent”.