Boston Marathon Bombing

[SlayerOfLight]

^ Who else is a likable candidate then besides Al Qaida? Untill evidence says otherwise, terrorists remain the number 1 suspects.

[Azdgari]

Boston is rattled and grieving, that is for certain. I'm thankful that none of my family members were hurt, but a father of a friend and mother of another were injured--one needed surgery to remove shrapnel and was in critical condition. To say that an event like this is horrific is an understatement. It's a blow to our identity as a city in particular, and of course our country as a whole.

But there is hope in the events. Watching the incredible bravery and selflessness of first responders running towards the explosions, doctors who quit running the marathon to provide aid to the injured, the outpouring of support... My friend and pastor George certainly convinced me of the way forward: "In short, we choose love and reject fear."

[DGFone]

The bombs used are not a new design. The things were made out of pressure cookers and nails, and are already commonly used in Pakistan...

[Regulus]

Anyone can make a bomb with that stuff. That's why anyone could have done it.

Just because there's terrorists in the middle east doesn't mean some domestic nut didn't do it.

[DGFone]

Anyone can make a bomb with that stuff. That's why anyone could have done it.

Just because there's terrorists in the middle east doesn't mean some domestic nut didn't do it.

True enough. Another thing I noticed is that in this thread, people have already said that "X, Y, and Z all happened in April...", but there's another date that I don't think many here are aware of:
The bombing happened on Tax day. Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

My personal opinion is that you won't target a marathon over taxes.

[Regulus]

It always amuses me how people tend to forget about the bad things that happen during every other month.

Or even better yet, how many people even know of the bombing that happened on the other side of the world yesterday?

[TheLionPrince]

^ Who else is a likable candidate then besides Al Qaida? Untill evidence says otherwise, terrorists remain the number 1 suspects.

Well, al-Qaeda hasn't accepted responsibility (at least for now) for this attack, and they usually do when they make attacks like this. Just last year, they admitted responsibility shortly after the attacks on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya. (source) Much like that attack, they chose a relevant date to Americans to strike.

Spoiler: show

I'll regret writing this when the facts come out that may contradict this so it's a spoiler.

Like DGFone said, it was Tax Day (which I knew), so the attack could have been an anti-government statement against taxes. Why choose Boston? Well, Boston holds the Boston Harbor, which famously had the Boston Tea Party, which was against taxes on British imports on tea and other goods. However, I'm more inclined to believe it was in relation to Patriot Day.

It always amuses me how people tend to forget about the bad things that happen during every other month.

Or even better yet, how many people even know of the bombing that happened on the other side of the world yesterday?

Thanks for bringing this up! It's kind of sad that the American media (and myself included) doesn't give as much attention to other bombings in other parts of the world. Let's remember all victims of terrorism.

The bombs used are not a new design. The things were made out of pressure cookers and nails, and are already commonly used in Pakistan...

And Afghanistan, France, India and Nepal (source)

[DGFone]

The bombs used are not a new design. The things were made out of pressure cookers and nails, and are already commonly used in Pakistan...

And Afghanistan, France, India and Nepal (source)

So I looked at the link you provided, and from what it said is that these bombs were used in France, India, Nepal, etc..., but the teachings on how to make them come from terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. And all such bombs were discovered in possession by radical Islamist. So it really does narrow the number of suspects down, doesn't it?

Regulus, you said anyone can make a bomb out of those. Very well. Take a pressure cooker and some nails, both very legal devices, and make a bomb. Cough over the money, because I know you don't know how to do so.

Just because the ingredients for these bombs are easy to get doesn't automatically mean that just "anyone" can make a bomb out of them. You still need the know-how.

[Regulus]

Hmmm... let me look through my house and see how many things I can find that have warning labels.

Explosives are all around us. You just have to know how to read.

The pressure cooker acts as a chamber to build up pressure, while the nails are the lethal projectiles.

For a bomb to be ignited at a certain time, the ignition must be electric, with a simple radio-activated switch from the battery to the fuse. Heck, even an overvolted lithium-ion battery can produce quite an explosion.

[DGFone]

The pressure cooker acts as a chamber to build up pressure, while the nails are the lethal projectiles.

For a bomb to be ignited at a certain time, the ignition must be electric, with a simple radio-activated switch from the battery to the fuse. Heck, even an overvolted lithium-ion battery can produce quite an explosion.

Not on the order of the explosions in Boston. Yes, you can make a bomb out of almost anything, but it's not as simple of a matter as simply going "I need this, need this, this, that, and presto! Instant bomb!"

That bomb-making recipe in "Fight Club" that turns soap into a bomb? Yeah, it's wrong on purpose: it excludes the key ingredient and the special process that turns hand soap into a big bang, just so that if anyone with a smart idea followed the movie will get severely disappointed.

Same with "pressure cooker and nails". The nails are the shrapnel and the cooker provides the... pressure. Everyone know that. But how to make it explode, I somehow don't think you know the magic third ingredient[s].

And just to add my opinion: I don't think those bombs exploded on command. If I were the terrorist, I would detonate when the first guy (sorry girls, it's always a guy, usually Kenyan or Ethiopian) is coming up to the finish line and is right next to the bomb. Not only is the crowd most eager and most packed, but the possibility of killing a champion would greatly increase the international attention.

The fact that it exploded four hours into the run, when the slower runners are finishing, this fact makes me think that the bomb was armed, and left to its own devices until it blew.