Here's a brief update on yesterday's attack on the Boston Marathon:
- Three people were killed during Monday's attack on the Boston Marathon and more than 130 were wounded. Among the dead: 8-year-old Martin Richard of Dorchester, Massachusetts. His mother and sister were injured in the blast. It's truly heartbreaking.
- We still don't know who is responsible for the attack or why it happened. An apartment building in the Boston area was searched Monday night, but that may not ultimately be significant.
- Remember, early reports are often incorrect or simply cases of leads that turn out to be dead ends. After the Oklahoma City bombing, a Jordanian American man from OKC was detained by authorities because he left the country on the same day of the bombing. He had nothing to do with the attack, however. After the 1996 Atlanta bombing, Richard Jewell—who had initially been labeled as a hero—was fingered as the culprit. He was innocent.
- The FBI took the lead in the investigation last night.
- A news conference is expected around 9:30 with more information. We'll post updates as it happens.
6:12 AM PT: MSNBC reports there haven't been any credible claims of responsibility. There were two bombs and no unexploded devices. The area surrounding the blasts has been completely cordoned off. There are no suspects in custody, but as we learned yesterday police interviewed a Saudi man who was hospitalized with burns. It was his apartment that was searched, but at this point that's indication of a thorough investigation, not suspicion of guilt. A "lookout alert" was also issued for a man wearing dark clothes and a hood leaving the area of the bombing and a man who was turned away in a rental truck.
6:15 AM PT: NBC's Pete Williams says one of the most urgent investigative tasks at this point will be reconstructing the explosive device to figure out how it was made. Williams also says all cars in the area have been locked down. They want to keep cars in the area so they can search for residue and other evidence.