Photos reveal ‘armed and dangerous’ Boston bomb suspects
An international manhunt begins as photos and video show two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings, which left three dead and 176 hurt.
The two men in the images, released on Thursday evening by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), are described as “armed and extremely dangerous” with officials urging that “no one should approach them”.
The pair were captured walking together near the finish line of the Boston Marathon before the explosions that killed three people on Monday.
One of the two men was seen putting down a backpack at the scene of the second explosion “within minutes” of the blast, Special Agent Rick DesLauriers, the head of the FBI’s Boston office, confirmed in a press conference.
Richard DesLauriers, the special agent in charge in the city, said: “Today we are enlisting the public’s help to identify the two suspects.”
Though it may be difficult, the nation is counting on those with information to come forward and provide it to us. Richard DesLauriers
Both men carried rucksacks that may have contained the bombs. The man identified as suspect one wore a dark baseball cap. Suspect two wore a white cap, DesLauriers said.
He added: “Somebody out there knows these individuals as friends, neighbours, co-workers or family members of the suspects.
“Though it may be difficult, the nation is counting on those with information to come forward and provide it to us.”
‘You will run again’
The bombings began a week of security scares across the United States which brought back memories of the 9/11 attacks more than a decade ago.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama attended an interfaith service at a cathedral a mile from the bomb site. Declaring “You will run again” he vowed to catch whoever was responsible.
He promised resilience in a message directed at the people of Boston but clearly intended to reassure people across the US.