# Explosions at Boston Marathon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 15, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781 "2013-04-15T19:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/101 "2013-04-15T20:26:11Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > It’s really hard to imagine that on Boylston Street someone was able to drop off two bombs, and not be caught on camera. The crowds are huge, and the area is pretty big, and there are lots of trash cans. They may have caught something on camera but I question how much detail they could get. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/102 "2013-04-15T20:26:31Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Yes, I’d bet some teabagger(s) on Tax Day. My first thought too. As always, avoid the bottom feeders in the comment section of your favorite news site. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/103 "2013-04-15T20:26:36Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > They just reported that it was an electrical fire. Thanks. I’m glad it was unrelated. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/104 "2013-04-15T20:26:48Z")
Seems like it must be domestic terrorism, I mean the symbolism is right there having the explosion in Boston Tax and Patriot’s Day, some douche angry with the government and taxes so thinks that killing innocent people is achieving something. ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/105 "2013-04-15T20:27:27Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > That supposition is \*not \*born of simple enmity (and stating that it _is_ is “just sick” :dubious: , as is dismissing political disagreement as simple emotionalism, if you want to take it to the Pit, friend ). No, that supposition comes from our regular experience in this country with anti-government domestic terrorism, combined with the notability of this date. …if you want to speculate about who did this maybe it is you who should take it somewhere else. Because the tone of your posts seem really out of place here in this thread where its quite possible friends and families of dopers have been injured or killed. In a day or two we will probably know for sure who did this. Lets wait for that to happen: and in the meantime here’s hoping that the death toll isn’t too high and that everybody’s loved ones are okay. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/106 "2013-04-15T20:28:05Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > They just reported that it was an electrical fire. On the police scanner they’re calling it an incendiary device. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/107 "2013-04-15T20:28:34Z")
I don’t know if it makes me an awful person, but I ran one marathon in my life and I trained for months to do it. I was very disciplined. So when I heard about this my first thought was "Fuck, all those people having their hard work ruined. Especially in the Boston marathon, which is exclusive and basically the pinnacle. I have managed to re-adjust my perspective and sympathy toward those actually injured and dead, versus those who have simply been inconvenienced. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/108 "2013-04-15T20:28:40Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Two more bombs discovered in Boston. First reports have them appearing “home-made”, FWIW. One was found underneath the grandstand. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/109 "2013-04-15T20:30:20Z")
> [@Banquet\_Bear](#): > > …if you want to speculate about who did this maybe it is you who should take it somewhere else. Because the tone of your posts seem really out of place here in this thread where its quite possible friends and families of dopers have been injured or killed. I’m responding to a _single individual_ who called me “just sick” outside the Pit, okay with you? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/110 "2013-04-15T20:30:39Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > First reports have them appearing “home-made”, FWIW. I saw a tweet about pipe bombs, but at this point it’s all speculation. If the part about the Newtown families VIP section, that just makes this even more tragic and pointless…and stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/111 "2013-04-15T20:31:10Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > It’s really hard to imagine that on Boylston Street someone was able to drop off two bombs, and not be caught on camera. It’s a fair bet that they were indeed caught on camera - it’s just that nobody would think twice if they spotted someone throwing something away at a trash can, since everyone throws stuff away. I’m sure officials are poring over surveillance camera footage right now, looking for one person who visited trash cans or other hiding spots near both explosion sites (and where the third device was discovered). If each device was planted by a different person, it’ll be more difficult (but not impossible) to figure out. ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/112 "2013-04-15T20:31:54Z")
[Graphic of the bomb locations](http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/04/15/us/site-of-the-boston-marathon-explosion.html?_r=0). There are some awful people in the world. Glad not all the bombs went off, glad EMS and police are responding well, glad casualties are low, but that feels like grasping for straws when people are dead. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/113 "2013-04-15T20:32:13Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Two more bombs discovered in Boston. It’s been reported on CBS that those two were suspicious-looking packages that the police detonated merely as a precaution. They may or may not have been bombs, but the police weren’t taking any chances that they would detonate spontaneously. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/114 "2013-04-15T20:32:18Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > The crowds are huge, and the area is pretty big, and there are lots of trash cans. They may have caught something on camera but I question how much detail they could get. That specific block is closed access and the sidewalk is moderately narrow after the barricades are up… I know that because I walked through it on Friday. Maybe I’m just indulging in wishful thinking, but I like to think one of the many cameras on those blocks got a good view. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/115 "2013-04-15T20:33:55Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > her friends told her it happened ten minutes after the last runners crossed. By the video I’ve seen, this is incorrect; runners were still crossing at the time of the first explosion. Re “gun time”: that’s standard race jargon, gun or not. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/116 "2013-04-15T20:34:47Z")
Assuming they are bombs this doesn’t have to be domestic terrorism, or even if so from any particular group. This was an excellent target for small scale terrorism from any source. There have been amateur Middle Eastern terror plots discovered in the area. This could be very small scale from someone who was just competent enough to produce the bombs (one or more of which may not have detonated as intended). So far this could potentially be a single unaffiliated psycho. While security cameras may be insufficient to identify a perpetrator, they should reveal if the same person stopped at one or more of the bomb locations, and possibly track their movements some distance further. But whoever did this could easily be lost in the massive crowds, many of them jampacking the rodes and public transportation right now. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/117 "2013-04-15T20:35:13Z")
NSFL picture of man being wheeled away with both legs blown off. Very graphic and disturbing. Link broken. http:// [cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/bos041513/s\_b08\_53227479.jpg](http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/bos041513/s_b08_53227479.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/118 "2013-04-15T20:37:19Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I don’t know if it makes me an awful person, but I ran one marathon in my life and I trained for months to do it. I was very disciplined. So when I heard about this my first thought was "Fuck, all those people having their hard work ruined. Especially in the Boston marathon, which is exclusive and basically the pinnacle. > > I have managed to re-adjust my perspective and sympathy toward those actually injured and dead, versus those who have simply been inconvenienced. I think it’s fair to _also_ feel bad for all the people who trained for months only to have it ruined. That doesn’t suck remotely as bad as being killed or maimed, of course, but it still really sucks. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/119 "2013-04-15T20:37:21Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > NSFL picture of man being wheeled away with both legs blown off. Very graphic and disturbing. Link broken. > > http:// [cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/bos041513/s\_b08\_53227479.jpg](http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/infocus/bos041513/s_b08_53227479.jpg) Oh, my god. How can that be real??? How is he conscious and almost composed? Absolutely horrific. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781/120 "2013-04-15T20:37:52Z")
Shock and adrenaline. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-at-boston-marathon/655781.md?page=7)