Interrogators in Boston wait to question suspect (LIVE BLOG)

Tsarnaev shot in throat, currently unable to communicate

Boston Mayor Tom Menino said Sunday that authorities can't yet be certain they will be able to interrogate the surviving suspect in the marathon bombing, whom Menino told ABC's George Stephanopoulos is in "very serious condition" at Beth Israel Hospital.

“We don't know if we'll ever be able to question the individual,” Menino said.

Menino also confirmed, according to a transcript of his remarks, a detail of the investigation that has inspired much debate in the past 24 hours: Tsarnaev won't be read his rights before initial questioning.

"Charges could come as early as today. Terror charges that could bring the death penalty. He is not going to be read the Miranda Warnings. They are going to use the Public Safety Exception, and dive in without advising him of his right to remain silent.

"They are taking this extraordinary step because there could be an eminent threat still out there. I just got of the phone, George with a senior law enforcement official who said there's deep, deep concern about the amount of ammunition, guns and working bombs these men had. They were so disciplined," the mayor said.

He added, however, that there's currently "no evidence of a broader plot involving more people."

London keeps calms and carries on

GlobalPost Senior Correspondent Corinne Purtill sent the following report from London this morning:

Some of the spectators I spoke to said they'd considered skipping the event in the wake of the Boston bombing; others said they never wavered for a second. All extended their sympathies to Boston.

Ultimately, the streets were lined with those who chose to keep calm and carry on.

"To be honest, there's a bit of a resolve that says, no one is going to stop us," said Bob Grable, 56, of Beaconsfield. "A bit of British stoicism there, kicking in."

The bombing "was incredibly sad," said Ann Chivers of Leeds, whose boyfriend was running. But ultimately, she said, echoing many spectators' sentiments, "It just made everyone more determined to come and make sure we were all here."

Farther down the barricade, Moe Chambers, 66, of Lincoln was watching with his wife, daughter-in-law and three granddaughters in support of his son Paul, who was running his first London Marathon.

After some choice words for the bombers — "vermin," "idiots" — he said, "The rest of us just have to crack on, I'm afraid."

His daughter-in-law Nicola Chambers said she worried after last week's news about bringing her three daughters, ages 17, 13 and 7, to the event.

"I had my doubts. Obviously, as a mum, it's a big decision," she said. "We've put our faith in the police."

Her daughter Brooke Parkinson-Chambers was more blunt.

"We can't put our lives on hold for them idiots," the 17-year old said.

Volunteers said there had been no record of runners withdrawing after Monday's attack.

"Marathon running is a global sport": London observes moment of silence

AFP — The London Marathon got underway on Sunday after marking a 30-second period of silence to remember the victims of the Boston Marathon attacks.

Elite and fun-runners alike, wearing black ribbons, stood in silence at the start line before setting off at 10:00 am (0900 GMT).

The 35,000-odd runners halted their last-minute warm-up routines and stood still in the sunshine in Greenwich Park, many closing their eyes.

"Marathon running is a global sport. It unites runners and supporters on every continent, in pursuit of a common challenge and in a spirit of friendship and fellowship," the runners were told over the public address system.

"This week, the world marathon family was shocked and saddened by the events of the Boston Marathon.

"We will join together in silence to remember our friends and colleagues for whom a day of joy turned into a day of sadness.

"Let us now show our respect and support for the victims of the tragedy in Boston."

Read the rest of this story from Agence France-Presse. Copyright AFP, 2013.

"Serious but stable"

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick told reporters at Boston's iconic Fenway Park on Saturday that suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was said to be badly injured at the time of his capture on Friday, is in "serious but stable" condition.

Patrick added that Tsarnaev is "not able to communicate yet." He declined to answer a reporter's question about where in the body Tsarnaev was shot.

"I and I think all of the law enforcement professionals are hoping for a host of reasons that the suspect survives, because we have a million questions, and those questions need to be answered," he added.

"There's a prosecution to put together…. Of course, there are lives to be repaired and rebuilt, so there's a lot yet to come."

Patrick later said: "I think the message for everybody around the world is that we must be in a state of constant vigilance, but we have to have vigilance without fear."

Russia worked with FBI in 2011 to investigate slain suspect

Reuters — Russia asked the FBI in early 2011 to investigate Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev out of concern he had embraced radical Islam and was going to travel to Russia to join underground groups, US law enforcement sources said on Saturday.

Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB, made a request for checks on Tsarnaev — who was killed after a shootout with police on Thursday — to help an investigation of its own, a US government source said.

The Russians were not tipping off the FBI about a plot in the United States or any threat posed to US interests, a law enforcement and national security source said on condition of anonymity.

The fact that there was no warning about an attack in the United States may help shield the Obama administration, spy agencies and law enforcement from criticism that they failed to see the danger from Tsarnaev, 26, and his younger brother, Dzhokhar, who are suspected of carrying out the twin bombings that killed three people and injured over 170 on Monday at the Boston Marathon.

Russia is battling Islamist militants in the volatile North Caucasus where the Tsarnaev brothers — who are ethnic Chechens — have family ties. But the number of tips from Moscow on possible terrorism cases is "not that many," a senior US law enforcement source said.

Read the rest of this story from Reuters' Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball.

New York Senator suggests torture, sparking strong reaction

A New York state senator caused an uproar when he suggested Friday night that Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be tortured.

Republican Sen. Greg Ball reacted to Friday's night's capture of Tsarnaev with this tweet:

Ball's comments follow years of debate, activism and policy change in the US over the use of torture and the laws governing treatment of detainees.

But he isn't the first politician to post an insensitive tweet during the aftermath of the Boston marathon tragedy.

So far, Ball has not apologized. His first tweet after the one referencing torture came on Saturday, when he simply tweeted, "Good morning!"

See public reaction to Ball's comments here.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in serious condition, bled for hours before capture

The lone surviving suspect of the Boston Marathon bombing might not have lived through the night if police had not found him, according to new details released after the arrest.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken to a local Boston hospital in serious condition after police found him hiding in a boat in a backyard in suburban Watertown, Mass.

When he was taken into custody, the suspect was bleeding badly and too weak to resist any longer, officials said.

The homeowner who first saw Tsarnaev hiding in the boat told police he saw a lot of blood.

According to CBS News senior correspondent John Miller, it's likely Dzhokhar was shot as long as 20 hours before being discovered.

Read the full story here.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in serious condition, bled for hours before capture

The lone surviving suspect of the Boston Marathon bombing might not have lived through the night if police had not found him, according to new details released after the arrest.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken to a local Boston hospital in serious condition after police found him hiding in a boat in a backyard in suburban Watertown, Mass.

When he was taken into custody, the suspect was bleeding badly and too weak to resist any longer, officials said.

The homeowner who first saw Tsarnaev hiding in the boat told police he saw a lot of blood.

According to CBS News senior correspondent John Miller, it's likely Dzhokhar was shot as long as 20 hours before being discovered.

Read the full story here.

Do cities need more surveillance?

Investigators scoured hours and hours of surveillance footage from the Boston marathon for the tiniest clue that could lead them to the suspects who committed this horrible act.

Thousands of man-hours later and just three days later, they found what they were looking for.

Footage from CCTV cameras were the key to catching the Boston marathon bombing suspects. Should we have more of them?

Read the full story here.

Soul-searching, speculation as Boston bombing suspect remains in hospital

As the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings clings to life in a Boston hospital, commentators, politicians and pundits have scrambled to find motives or meaning behind the attacks.

The soul-searching began in earnest after the 19-year-old was captured Friday evening in a Boston suburb, just minutes after a lockdown on the city was lifted.

"What might have prompted Dzhokhar, from nearly all reports a normal Americanized kid with scores of loyal friends, to plant a deadly explosive device at an iconic event in his adopted city?" asks GlobalPost's Jean MacKenzie.

"The fact that the pair were ethnically Chechen may turn out to be completely irrelevant to their motivation, if, in fact, it is finally determined that Tamerlan and Dzhokhar were responsible for Monday’s bombing. But it has been the major piece of information cited by experts and commentators struggling to make sense of an attack that defies rational explanation."

Read more of MacKenzie's analysis here.

The question of justice

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, most recently said to be in serious condition at a Boston hospital, has not yet been read his Miranda rights.

That's an intentional decision by the Justice Department. Invoking the "public safety exception,” as one offiicial told Politico, gives the FBI a chance to question Tsarnaev before a trial.

But questions of Tsarnaev's rights and how to try him are far from settled, and have provoked both official and public debates over justice. Republican Senators have called for Tsarnaev to be tried as an enemy combatant, which would mean trying him under the Law of War.

President Obama, meanwhile, has indicated that his adminstration won't jump to that classification.

"It is important that we do this right. That is why we have investigations. We relentlessly gather facts. That is why we have courts," Obama said Friday night.

UPDATE, 10:18 AM: Read more on this story from GlobalPost's Sarah Wolfe.

President Obama makes address after Boston Marathon capture

Speaking from the White House, President Barack Obama addressed the nation just past 10 p.m. and praised officials who have coordinated this week to find and capture suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing case.

The president also extended his prayers to the families of those who have died this week, and pledged that the FBI, Homeland Security and the intelligence community will investigate the case fully.

"We'll continue to do whatever we have to do to keep our people safe," Obama said.

Residents celebrate capture of second suspect

Residents of Watertown cheered law enforcement officials Friday evening after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken into custody.

A press conference is scheduled for 9:30 p.m.

SUSPECT, INJURED, IS IN CUSTODY

Police have confirmed that the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing is in custody. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, is said to be injured and receiving treatment at Mt. Auburn Hospital.

Several suspects reported in custody in New Bedford

Local reports say that three people may be in custody in New Bedford, Massachusetts, not far from Boston. The Boston Globe reported the news via Twitter.

WBSM said the three are being questioned by the FBI, as did 7News:

WBZ anchor refers to suspects as "these two idiots"

GlobalPost editors watching live WBZ television coverage have noted a change in the anchors' tone since the manhunt in Watertown intensified close to 7 p.m.

A male anchor recently refered to the suspects as "these two idiots"; other language regarding the suspects has appeared increasingly flippant.

Are you watching televised coverage of the pursuit of the Boston Marathon suspect? Do you think anchors are characterizing the suspects fairly and appropriately? Let us know in the comments.

Suspect 2 said to be "pinned down" in boat at 67 Franklin Street as police close in

Editor's note: This is developing news.

Thermal imaging said to have located suspect inside boat

Unnamed sources told a WBZ reporter that the latest pursuit was kicked off after a tip to authorities from a caller.

Suspect said to be isolated in boat; police order residents to stay inside

Reports of gunfire in Watertown minutes after lockdown lifted; suspect may be near

Reporters with Boston's local CBS affiliate, WBZ, reported hearing gunfire and seeing a massive police presence congregate in Watertown just before 7 p.m.

Jim Armstrong reported "a tremendous amount of police presence" near Arsenal street. Authorities had earlier in the hour lifted the lockdown in place earlier in the day in Boston and nearby areas as they continued their manhunt.

Police told members of the media in the area to take shelter behind walls and vehicles, according to Armstrong.

The Boston Globe reported that a suspect may have been trapped. WBZ reported live on television that a person may be surrounded in a boat parked in a Watertown backyard.

This news is developing.

Stay in doors request lifted, subway reopened as suspect remains at large

Mass. Governor Deval Patrick announced at a press conference just after 6 p.m. that the shelter-in-place order for Boston and surrounding areas has been lifted, and the subway system reopened, "effective immediately." The MBTA website does not yet reflect that update, however.

"But remain vigilant," Patrick urged.

Police Col. Timothy Alben told reporters that he believes the suspect is still in Massachusetts, though he does not have specific leads on his whereabouts.

“We do not have an apprehension of our suspect this afternoon. But we will have one,” he had said minutes earlier.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A day after the Boston Marathon bombing that killed three and injured more than 170, one of the suspects visited this man’s auto repair shop in Cambridge with a banged up white Mercedes, the mechanic tells GlobalPost.

Gilberto Junior, 44, from Brazil, runs a shop around the corner from a home police believe was the suspects’ residence, a scene under police lockdown Friday.

Junior says the younger bombing suspects brought the car with damage to its rear bumper, claiming it was his girlfriend’s, and saying he needed a rush job to fix it.

The young man was usually very sociable, dressed in expensive clothing, and often chatted to him about soccer and girls, Junior said. But on Tuesday, the young man was biting his nails and his legs were shaking nervously, as if he had taken some kind of pills, he tells GlobalPost.

Watch segments of raw video of GlobalPost’s interview with Cambridge auto mechanic Gilberto Junior below:

Obama briefed

Politico reported:

President Obama spoke to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino on Friday afternoon as he continued to be briefed on developments there, a White House official said.

Obama was briefed just before 4 p.m. in the Oval Office by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco, the official said, and he then called Patrick and Menino.

More at Politico.

A video tribute from the Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are, of course, one of the most visible symbols of this city.

Like almost everyone who lives or works here, the Sox have not escaped today's dramatic events.

Amid the ongoing manhunt for Boston Marathon bombing suspect #2 Dzokhar Tsarnaev, the team has cancelled tonight's game at Fenway.

But ahead of that decision, GlobalPost was contacted by Boston multimedia journalist Billie Weiss, who also happens to be Assistant Team Photographer for the Red Sox.

To mark this week's troubling news in Boston, Weiss shot this video tribute to the first responders and victims of Monday's attack.

And while we normally adhere to journalistic objectivity, we hope you'll excuse GlobalPost's one exception to this rule.

Yes, we're Sox fans:

Flag Roll from Billie Weiss on Vimeo.

Boston bombing hits home for GlobalPost's Charles Sennott

GlobalPost's executive editor, Charles Sennott, spoke with NPR's Terry Gross today about the events in Boston and the difference between covering violence in his hometown and reporting on foreign conflicts.

"Whenever a bombing happens, it's someone's hometown," he said.

Listen here.

Robbery at 7-Eleven appears unrelated to manhunt

Authorities have revised their earlier impression that the bombing suspects may have been behind a robbery at a convenience store late last night, saying the event now appears to be unrelated to the manhunt, NPR said.

NPR's Sasha Feifer, "on a lighter note," also noted that the NYPD has arrived in Boston to grill food for first responders.

Officials confirm reports that younger suspect ran over body of slain older brother

Officials have confirmed to the Boston Globe what NBC's

BREAKING NEWS: With his brother shot by police, Dzhokhor A. Tsarnaev drove over him, two law enforcement officials said.

— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) April 19, 2013

Shelter-in-place still in effect, but taxis now available

Taxi service is running again in the City of Boston. Public transportation is not, and authorities are still asking resident to "shelter in place."

However, not if they're at a place of business. People at work should make their way home and shelter there.

Interstate transit has also been limited:

Controlled detonation imminent at house on Norfolk

Green car found

What lockdown looks like

Neighbors recall Dzhokhar

Twenty-year-old Torrie Martinez, former student at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, said he first met bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, when they joined the wrestling team together.

“We joined up together," said Martinez, speaking on Cambridge St., half a block from the suspects' alleged house. "We took the same bus nearly every day.”

Martinez remembers Dzhokhar as a "nice guy to talk to."

“When he wrestled he was pretty good. He made all states,” Martinez said. “You are going to hear it from me, you are going to hear it from everybody else — yeah, he was a nice kid."

Martinez said their conversations never got too personal.

“I didn’t get too involved in his personal life," he said. "Whenever we talked it was only ever small talk, usually wrestling.”

More from Daniel Defraia's reporting in Cambridge.

Authorities searching for car

Authorities are searching for a green Honda Civic with the license plate 116-GC7. The Boston police sent Connecticut State police this information, according to the Associated Press:

Connecticut State Police say they received information from investigators in Boston that the at-large suspect in the marathon bombing could be traveling in a green Honda Civic.

State police say in a statement issued to the media that the suspect could possibly be in a 1999 Honda with Massachusetts registration number 116-GC7.

This video (unverified) was thought to be shot in Watertown:

Manhunt zeroes in on Cambridge

From GlobalPost's Daniel Defraia:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — It's a waiting game on Cambridge Street.

The mood is one of calm expectation. People are drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, checking their phones, walking their dogs and waiting to see what happens next.

The stretch of Cambridge St. in Inman Square, between East Cambridge and Central Sq. in Cambridge, Mass., is where the two Boston Marathon bombing suspects are said to have been living.

Earlier today, police secured a house on nearby Norfolk St., where suspects Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and his brother Tamerlan, 26, are thought to have been staying. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout overnight in Watertown, Mass., while Dzhokhar is still at large.

Police announced they will be conducting a controlled explosion at the house on Norfolk St. later this afternoon.

Read the rest of the story here.

Father, sister of suspect speak out

The area around 22-year-old Ailina Tsarnaev's house in northern New Jersey was sealed off by the New York police.

From NorthJersey.com:

The woman is cooperating with federal investigators, who are still questioning her, said Michael E. Indri, director of police in West New York.

Before that, 22-year-old Ailina Tsarnaev spoke to the reporters through a slightly-opened door of their second-floor apartment. The woman said she was shocked by the bombings and surprised that her brothers could have been involved in a bombing that killed three and wounded more than 170.

She called them “loving” and began to cry one point during the brief interview. She referred to her younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, as “amazing.”

She spoke of the grief she feels for the victims and their families.

“I’m sorry for all the people who are hurt and for all the people who lost their lives,” she said.

More at NorthJersey.com on Ailina's comments.

From The Washington Post:

Anzor Tsarnaev, father of the Tsarnaev brothers, told the Interfax news agency Friday that he had talked to his sons after the explosions at the Boston marathon and they told him they were safe and had not been near the race.

The father was in Makhachkala, in the Russian region of Dagestan, and met reporters in an apartment belonging to relatives of his wife, where he has been staying.

“I talked to my children on the phone immediately after the terrorist attack. I asked them if they were okay. They said don’t worry, we weren’t there at all,” Anzor Tsarnaev said.

“I don’t believe that my children did it. They wouldn’t hurt a fly,” he said.

More from The Post here.

Timeline of events

Catch up on the developments so far with GlobalPost's timeline of major events in the bombings and aftermath.

Mechanic might have seen suspects

GlobalPost's Alex Leff, who is in Cambridge, talked to Gilberto Junior, 44, an auto mechanic near the suspects' home.

"Says kids brought white Mercedes with rear bumper damage Tuesday, hasty to get it fixed. They were nice kids, always talked to him about soccer, knowing he's from Brazil, and would say his team's the best."

Helicopters over Watertown

Reuters Scott Malone tweeted these photos from Watertown:

Reaction from Chechnya

The Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, commented on Instagram [translation via the BBC]:

"We have previously expressed our condolences to the people of the city and the people of America… Any attempt to make the connection between Chechnya and the Tsarnaevs, if they are guilty, is in vain. They grew up in the US, their attitudes and beliefs were formed there. It is necessary to seek the roots of evil in America. We wish recovery to all the victims and share the feelings of sorrow."

Update from Boston law enforcement

Speaking from Watertown, Masschusetts Gov. Deval Patrick thanked Bostonians for staying indoors and cooperating with authorities.

"The stay indoors request continues for the time being," Patrick said. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said, "We'll keep the public informed. Be patient."

Timothy Alben, of the Massachusetts Police, said the police had covered over 60-70 percent of what they wanted to cover in the manhunt for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

He also warned that there would be a controlled explosion in Cambridge, near Norfolk Street, due to police precautions.

National and international reaction

From the BBC:

Chechnya:

Independent Moscow radio station Ekho Moskvy has a statement from Alvi Karimov, press secretary for the leader of the Chechen Republic.

He told Interfax "the suspects in the Boston crimes have no relation to Chechnya". He says "according to preliminary information" the family moved "many years ago from Chechnya to another region of Russia".

"Then for a long time they lived in Kazakhstan, and from there moved to the US, where family members obtained residency," Mr Karimov said. "So the persons concerned did not live in Chechnya as adults, and if they became 'bad apples' then it's a question of who was educating them."

Russia:

Russian President Vladimir Putin sends a message of condolence to US President Barack Obama.

Mr Putin said he "strongly condemned this barbaric crime" and said the Russian Federation would be ready, if necessary, to assist in the investigation.

President Obama has been appraised of the situation, and Secretary of State John Kerry, who used to represent Massachusetts as a senator for several years, said:

Scene on the street in Cambridge

GlobalPost's Alex Leff is on the scene in Cambridge where the suspect's family home is being serached:

Raw video feed from Cambridge. Eight large vehicles, some passengers appear to be in camo. Increased security presence on police block on Cambridge Street, between Tremont and Norfolk.

Suspects' father tells son to surrender, warns law enforcement that 'Hell will break loose' if younger son is killed

As Boston police continue relentless manhunt for suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar's father, Anzor Tsarnaev spoke to ABC News from his home in the Russian city of Makhachkala.

When asked asked if he had a message to share with his fugitive son, Anzor said "Give up. Give up. You have a bright future ahead of you. Come home to Russia."

The father also warned, however, that if Boston law enforcement officials killed his younger son, then all hell would break loose.

"If they kill my second child, I will know that it is an inside job, a hit job. The police are to blame," the father told ABC News. "Someone, some organization is out to get them."

Suspects' uncle distances himself

Ruslan Tsarni, the man reported as being the suspects' uncle, spoke to news media. He said the brothers were granted asylum in the United States and had been estranged from his own family. Tsarni, as well as several news outlets are reporting that the father of the two suspects is currently living in Russia.

"Any connection to Islam … is a fake," Tsarni said, attributing the motive behind the bombings to "being losers."

Tsarni said the brothers had never been to Chechnya and if anyone had radicalized them, it was not their father.

He appealed to the remaining suspect, who is still at large:

If you're alive, turn yourself in. And ask for forgiveness from the victims from the injured. Ask forgiveness from these people. … He brought a shame on our family. He brought a shame on the entire Chechen ethnicity.

Russian reports add dimension to Boston manhunt

Russian media reports the Boston bombing suspects are ethnic Chechen brothers, although it’s unclear exactly which region they’re from.

The brothers are believed to have fled the war in Chechnya with their family before receiving asylum in the US.

Now run by Kremlin-installed strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya is more stable than the surrounding regions, where violence and instability have spread.

There has been no indication that the Tsarnev brothers have been connected to militancy in the Caucasus. Kadyrov's spokesman Alvi Karimov told Radio Ekho Moskvy that they have "no connection" to Chechnya.

"The Tsarnaev family left Chechnya for another region in Russia many years ago," he said. "Then it lived in Kazakhstan for a long time, and left for the United States from there."

Read the rest of this report from GlobalPost Europe Editor Gregory Feifer.

Buzzfeed featured additional comments from Kadyrov made on Instagram that appeared to lay the blame for the suspects' beliefs — still a matter of speculation — with the United States:

"Any attempt to draw a connection between Chechnya and Tsarnaevs — if they are guilty — is futile. They were raised in the United States, and their attitudes and beliefs were formed there. It is necessary to seek the roots of this evil in America. The whole world must struggle against terrorism — that we know better than anyone else. We hope for the recovery of all the victims, and we mourn with the Americans."

From near the scene

GlobalPost's Alex Leff is in Cambridge:

I walked part way from Cedar St. and the streets are almost a ghost town – until you reach Inman [Square], where there's a cluster of police, press, TV cameras, yellow police tape. A local onlooker said, "I hope they catch that bastard."

UMass Dartmouth campus closed, dorms evacuated

"UMass Dartmouth is closed and is in the process of a controlled evacuation of the campus," the university wrote on its website.

The school added: "This action is in response to information that the person being sought in connection with the Boston Marathon bombing is a registered student."

According to ABC, "suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, lived in the Pinedale residence hall."

Suspicious car found; whereabouts of second suspect still unknown

Authorities are no longer looking for the suspect gray Honda CRV, which has been located, WCVB reported live.

Officials are still searching for a second suspect. Officers believe it's possible the suspect is wearing a suicide vest.

Meanwhile, the MIT police officer found dead in his vehicle last night has been identified as Sean Collins, 26, of Somerville.

Authorities looking for gray Honda CRV

Connecticut state police have been advised to look out for a gray Honda CRV with Massachusetts plates, license plate number 316ES9.

A suspect may be in the vehicle, according to Boston authorities.

"Connecticut Troopers are posted strategically in our State and continue to communicate with Massachusetts authorities," the Connecticut police said in a statement.

'I don't have a single American friend'

Very little information is available about either of the two suspects, but there are some clues to their identities online. This series of photographs by Johannes Hirn features the elder of the two suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed in a firefight with police.

In the captions, Tsarnaev is described as an engineering student at Bunker Hill Community College who has represented New England as a heavyweight boxer. Taken when he had been in the US for five years, the album shows him training at a Boston gym with his girlfriend, a Portuguese-Italian who Tsarnaev says converted to Islam. He describes himself as a "very religious" Muslim who doesn't drink or smoke. "There are no values anymore," he told the interviewer.

Tsarnaev also identifies as Chechen, saying that unless Chechnya became independent he'd rather represent the US than Russia as an athlete. That said, he adds that "I don't have a single American friend, I don't understand them."

Meanwhile a YouTube account in the name of "Tamerlan Tsarnaev" has in its bookmarks a number of videos under the sub-categories "terrorists" and "Islam," according to the Washington Post, though it has not been confirmed that the account does indeed belong to Tsarnaev.

Reports from Russia

Russian media reports the Boston bombing suspects are ethnic Chechens, although it’s unclear exactly which region they’re from.

The Associated Press reports that the 19-year-old fugitive Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was born in a region near Chechnya. A page on VKontakte, Russia's version of Facebook, bearing his name and what appear to be photographs of him, says he was a student in a school in Makhachkala, the capital of the Dagestan Region next to Chechnya from 1999 to 2001.

Radio Ekho Moskvy reports that teachers at the school say they don’t remember Tsarnaev from his one year there.

The website Gazeta.ru reports that he was a student at Cambridge Ringe & Latin School after he left Makhachkala.

Other websites say his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan, who is believed to have been killed by police on Friday, was born in Chechnya before his family fled war there in the 1990s. He’s said to have lived in Kazakhstan before receiving political asylum in the United States.

Moscow fought a war to subdue separatist Chechnya from 1994 to 1996, when rebels forced Russian troops out of the region. Then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin launched a second war there in 1999.

More on the Chechen connection from GlobalPost's Gregory Feifer.

Video of Watertown firefight

CBS' Boston affiliate has this video from the showdown which took place in Watertown last night:

Authorities have asked everyone in Boston, Watertown, Newton, Waltham, Belmont, and Cambridge to stay indoors.

The Middlesex D.A. released this report of the incident:

Authorities launched an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. The investigation determined that two males were involved in this shooting.

A short time later, police received reports of an armed carjacking by two males in the area of Third Street in Cambridge. The victim was carjacked at gunpoint by two males and was kept in the car with the suspects for approximately a half hour. The victim was released at a gas station on Memorial Drive in Cambridge. He was not injured.

Police immediately began a search for the vehicle and were in pursuit of the vehicle into Watertown. At that time, 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. During this pursuit, an MBTA Police officer was seriously injured and transported to the hospital.

During the pursuit, one suspect was critically injured and transported to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased. An extensive manhunt is ongoing in the Watertown area for the second suspect, who is believed to be armed and dangerous.

The case is being investigated by local, state and federal authorities working in cooperation. The Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad is assessing and removing any potentially explosive devices that may have been thrown on the street in Watertown by the suspects.

Reports: Dispute over individual in custody while Watertown home is searched

NBC reported at 8:43 a.m. that an "unidentified person" was taken into custody by authorities. However, WCBV reported at 9:04 a.m. that no suspect was in custody. Being taken into custody does not necessarily imply an arrest.

Follow WCBV for live television coverage of the ongoing manhunt.

What we know about the slain and injured officers

One MIT police officer was found shot dead in his vehicle near the university campus late last night. He has not been named publicly while authorities notify his family.

MIT staff and students have been paying tribute to the fallen officer. In an email to the university community, MIT Executive Vice President and Treasurer Israel Ruiz and Chancellor Eric Grimson said: "The officer gave his life to defend the peace of our campus. His sacrifice will never be forgotten by the Institute."

A memorial service is planned later today.

A transit authority officer was also shot during a firefight with the two suspects as they fled in a stolen car. He has been identified as Richard H. Donohue, Jr., a 33-year-old officer who had been with the MBTA for three years. WCVB reports that he is married, with a 6-month-old baby. He was taken to Mt. Auburn Hospital for surgery, and is said to be in serious condition.

What's Chechnya's history of terrorism?

The Boston bombing suspects have been identified as brothers from a region near Chechnya, a contested republic in Russia's eastern North Caucasus region that has a history of terrorist attacks.

Militants from the Chechen, primarily Muslim, ethnic group have for years waged a guerilla war for independence from Russia, carrying out several attacks on Russian civilians including the 2010 Moscow metro bombing (about 40 people dead) and the 2004 school hostage-taking in Beslan, North Ossetia (about 330 dead).

The separatists' battle has also attracted "a small number of Islamist militants from outside of Chechnya," according to the Council on Foreign Relations, "some of whom are Arab fighters with possible links to Al Qaeda." Some Chechen militants are believed to receive funding from Al Qaeda associates on the Arabian Peninsula, and Chechens reportedly fought alongside Al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan.

Moscow has repeatedly insisted that international jihadis wield significant influence in Chechnya, though the true nature of the connections remain unclear.

Read more from the Council on Foreign Relations here, and GlobalPost's report from Chechnya in 2010.

Suspects' identities

News sources are reporting that the two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings are brothers hailing from a Russian region close to the contested region of Chechnya.

Djohar Tsarnaev, 19, known also as the "white hat," is still on the run after his brother, Tamerlan, 26, was killed in a police shootout in the early hours of Friday morning.

Tsarnaev is likely of Chechen descent, according to information on his Russiansocial media profile VK.

Read more here.

Taxi service suspended in Boston

Police have suspended all taxi cab operation in the Boston area:

What we know

If you're just joining us this morning, the Boston bombing case has extended to the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Boston suburb of Watertown.

What was initially thought to be a robbery at a 7-11 culminated in manhunt for the suspects in and around Boston.

Around 10:20, the two bombing suspects reportedly committed an armed robbery at a 7-11 near MIT's campus.

They fatally shot an MIT police officer, and carjacked a car in Cambridge minutes later.

Police tracked the car to Watertown, MA, where they engaged the suspects in a gunfight. The suspects reportedly threw explosives into the street during the firefight.

Suspect # 1 was killed in the firefight, and a police officer was seriously wounded.

"During the exchange of the gunfire, we believe that one of the suspects was struck and ultimately taken into custody. A second suspect was able to flee from that car and there is an active search going on at this point in time," Colonel Timothy Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, said at a press conference.

Suspect # 2 is still at large, and Watertown residents were asked to stay indoors.

The MBTA has shut down public transportation. Local universities including MIT and Harvard have also been closed.

"All of Boston" asked to stay indoors; injured officer identified

BOSTON, Mass. — From Watertown this morning, authorities held a brief press conference with the latest on their hunt for a second suspect. The authorities took no questions.

“The shelter in place recommendation has been extended thoughout the city of Boston,” Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said just after 8:00 a.m.

"This is an ongoing situation," he added.

Massacusetts Governor Deval Patrick called the situation "rapidly developing." He confirmed the latest news: "Suspect 1 is dead, Suspect 2 is on the run," he said. He added that an MBTA officer is seriously wounded and in surgery, and repeated that an MIT officer was killed earlier.

Police identified the injured transit police office as Richard H. Donohue, Jr., 33, who is currently at Mt. Auburn Hospital.

As the sun comes up over Boston, manhunt continues

BOSTON, Mass. — The city is under lockdown this morning as police carry out a manhunt for a suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon bombing.

As police vehicles race through the streets, public transportation in Boston has been suspended, and authorities are urging residents in the area to stay indoors. Local colleges, court houses, and businesses are remaining closed. Amtrak has suspended service to Boston, according to WBUR radio, while authorities scour large areas of Boston and Cambridge in pursuit of a suspect.

The man identified as Suspect 1 was shot and killed by police overnight, after a gun battle that left one MIT police officer shot dead. A second man, who has been identified by the Associated Press as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, is at large. The two men have been identified as brothers, from an area near Chechnya in Russia.

After a chase in which the suspects reportedly shot at police and threw explosive devices at them from a car, a shootout ensued in the Watertown, just west of Cambridge, MA. Recordings of the gunfire, replayed on local NPR radio, sound like a battle scene. Suspect 1 was reportedly brought to a local hospital just after 1:00 a.m. with multiple gunshot wounds, and pronounced dead.

As the sun rose, multiple swat teams were combing the Watertown neighborhood in search of the second suspect, Tsarnaev. GlobalPost staff residing in Boston, Cambridge and surrounding areas reported hearing the whine of sirens — as has become common this week — overnight and this morning.

Boston Marathon bombing case takes dramatic turn overnight

BOSTON, Mass. — One of two Boston Marathon bombing suspects was killed in the early hours of Friday, following a shootout in Watertown and the killing of an Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer.

Another suspect remained on the loose, and police were combing a 20-block perimeter in Watertown, near Cambridge, to search for him.

A massive collection of federal, state, and municipal police was scouring the huge area. Residents were urged to stay indoors and only to answer the door if visited by a police officer.

"This is a terrorist. He came here to kill people," Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said at an early morning news conference of the second suspect, reported WCVB, adding that the situation was "fluid and dangerous."

The Boston Globe reported that the suspect killed was the person the FBI yesterday identified as Suspect 1, writing:

"The man seen wearing a black hat in photos released Thursday evening, is dead after firing bullets and launching explosives at police."

Boston.com also reported that the suspect had fired bullets and launched explosives at police.

NBC reported that one bombing suspect — wearing a black hat in photos released by the FBI — had been taken into custody on Friday but subsequently died.

Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis, meanwhile, said that the man identified by the FBI as Suspect 2 — seen in images from the marathon wearing a white baseball cap — is still on the run.

Read the rest of this story.

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Word is the FBI's press conference has been cancelled until further notice: 

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5 p.m. press conference postponed

The press conference which was scheduled for 5 p.m., already postponed from an earlier time, has once again been postponed in light of the bomb scare at the Moakley Court House.

CNN reported earlier that a law enforcement source said there was a "significant breakthrough" in the case.

What is confirmed is that a suspect may have been identified based on video surveillance from Lord & Taylor department store. What remains unknown is whether officials have a name for the suspect. There have been no arrests and no one is in custody.

This was the scene prior to the bomb scare, code red and evacuation:

Federal court house cleared

Video showed people appearing to re-enter the federal court house:

The New York Times' Jess Bidgood tweeted:

Jim Armstrong, a reporter for Boston's CBS affiliate, WBZ, tweeted:

Crime scene area reduced

The Boston Police announced that the area of Boston being treated as a crime scene has been reduced:

Caution in Boston

A source who works at the federal court house told GlobalPost:

Was evacuated. There was apparently a bomb threat. They told everyone to get out of there immediately, so I'm waiting for the T now.

Possible bomb scare?

The Washington Post's David A. Fahrenthold filed this:

Security officers gave no details, telling reporters to “break up” and move back away from the waterfront courthouse. Two K-9 teams from Federal Protective Services had approached with lights and sirens going.

From inside the courthouse, both employees in suits and children from the daycare poured out. Daycare workers pushed cribs with wheels on them, carrying the smallest children inside and away from the building. One officer on the scene said the scene was caused by a bomb scare, but there was no other corroboration of that.

Reports of federal court house and hospital being evacuated

The Boston Globe confirms evacuation:

Screengrab from a live video of the court house:

Unconfirmed reports of federal court house and hospital being evacuated

The Boston Globe is now reporting:

FBI tells media to verify info before reporting

The FBI released this statement in the wake of the conflicting reports:

Contrary to widespread reporting, there have been no arrests made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack. Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting.

FBI confirms no arrests have been made

Bloomberg reports:

No arrests have been made in the Boston Marathon bombing case, Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman Jason Pack said in an e-mail.

PBS NewsHour has compiled all of the conflicting reports from media here.

The Associated Press said:

Straight from the source

The Boston Police tweeted:

A law enforcement news briefing was meant to be held at 5 p.m. today, but no word on whether it is still on.

Crowd gathering outside federal courthouse

The latest from CNN:

There is conflicting information as to whether someone has been arrested in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings.

A federal law enforcement source told CNN's Fran Townsend that someone was arrested. But two senior administration officials and another federal official then told Townsend that there had been a misunderstanding among officials and that no one has been arrested.

CNN might be backtracking

The Washington Post's Sari Horwitz tweeted:

Some conflicting reports

Suspect taken to Boston courthouse

From the Associated Press:

A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation says a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings is about to be arrested.

The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday. The official was not authorized to divulge details of the investigation.

The official says the suspect is to be taken into custody by federal marshals and taken to a Boston courthouse.

Suspect arrested?

Possible Suspect, press conference expected at 5 p.m.

BOSTON, Mass. — A federal law enforcement source told GlobalPost there is a "significant development" in the case, but would not confirm that there is a suspect or anyone in custody.

The source told GlobalPost that thousands of pieces of visual evidence — from cell phones, news and CCTV footage — have helped investigators build an “elaborate time line.” They provide investigators with a second by second narrative of the hours and minutes before the blast occurred at the finish line of the marathon. The source said a scheduled press briefing has been delayed to later this afternoon as a result of the potential breakthrough.

CNN reported that officials believe they have identified a suspect using feeds from security cameras at a nearby department store and local television stations.

Meanwhile, The Boston Globe tweeted: