# Likely Suspects in Boston Marathon Bombing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946 "2013-04-17T16:40:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Mame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/858c86/32.png) [@Mame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mame)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/81 "2013-04-19T03:22:17Z")
> **[I looked into the bomber's eyes, says man who lost both legs](https://www.smh.com.au/world/i-looked-into-the-bombers-eyes-says-man-who-lost-both-legs-20130419-2i4fp.html)** > > Minutes before the bombs blew up in Boston, Jeff Bauman looked into the eyes of the man who tried to kill him. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/82 "2013-04-19T03:52:51Z")
> [@Brewah](#): > > They look like college kids. And how many of those are there in Boston? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/83 "2013-04-19T05:06:20Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > And how many of those are there in Boston? As Ian Faith said “I wouldn’t worry about it though, it’s not a big college town.” ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/84 "2013-04-19T06:06:43Z")
White-cap suspect [shown disturbingly close](http://imgur.com/a/fEZhX) to 8-year-old victim Martin Richard. Also, traumatically-injured Victim Jeff Bauman (he’s the guy in the wheelchair missing both legs) says he [looked right into the eyes of the bomber](http://www.smh.com.au/world/i-looked-into-the-bombers-eyes-says-man-who-lost-both-legs-20130419-2i4fp.html). ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/85 "2013-04-19T08:22:31Z")
[The NY Post](http://www.smh.com.au/world/teen-wrongly-identified-as-person-connected-with-boston-marathon-blasts-20130419-2i3zb.html) is its own [Onion article.](http://www.theonion.com/articles/this-is-a-tragedydoes-it-really-matter-exactly-how,32076/) (The first link is to the Sydney Morning Herald, talking about the Post.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/86 "2013-04-19T11:36:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > To what? I suppose you know why I changed my vote by now. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/87 "2013-04-19T13:08:19Z")
So… is it “two loners” now? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/88 "2013-04-19T13:39:58Z")
Did anyone guess “Russian terrorists”? [The crime spree and cop shooting](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/boston-marathon-bombing_n_3114504.html?utm_source=concierge&utm_medium=onsite&utm_campaign=sailthru%2Bslider%2B) in Cambridge appears to be the same sorry bastards. One of 'em is dead now. ETA: Russian, but more specifically, Chechnyan. ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/89 "2013-04-19T14:28:35Z")
Muslim terrorists are responsible. Personally I had a hunch that the person responsible was radical leftist terrorist Bill Ayers. I’m shocked that it wasn’t, really. I never would have guessed that it was Muslim terrorists. I mean - how unlikely is that? Muslims? Weird. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/90 "2013-04-19T14:42:31Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > Muslim terrorists are responsible. Personally I had a hunch that the person responsible was radical leftist terrorist Bill Ayers. I’m shocked that it wasn’t, really. I never would have guessed that it was Muslim terrorists. I mean - how unlikely is that? Muslims? Weird. Palin? Is that you? I saw Ayers at a university lecture. He’s about as mellow and thoughtful as you can be these days. The Weather Underground was about property destruction. The only people they ever killed were their own, accidentally. ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/91 "2013-04-19T15:07:13Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > I saw Ayers at a university lecture. He’s about as mellow and thoughtful as you can be these days. The Weather Underground was about property destruction. The only people they ever killed were their own, accidentally. Woosh. My point was that the notion that Ayers was responsible is equally absurd to the notion that the bombs were set by a conservative angry because it was tax day. > [@](#): > > Palin? Is that you? You betcha. ---
**Author:** ![Blkshp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blkshp/32/7135_2.png) [@Blkshp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blkshp)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/92 "2013-04-19T15:23:29Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/93 "2013-04-19T15:46:47Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > Woosh. > > My point was that the notion that Ayers was responsible is equally absurd to the notion that the bombs were set by a conservative angry because it was tax day. How many of the Weather Underground flew planes into the IRS again? ---
**Author:** ![Blkshp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blkshp/32/7135_2.png) [@Blkshp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blkshp)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/94 "2013-04-19T15:58:30Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > My point was that the notion that Ayers was responsible is equally absurd to the notion that the bombs were set by a conservative angry because it was tax day. So, you are suggesting that the simple fact that an individual’s political belief or an element of it, might be consistent with that of a violent radical, it doesn’t necessarily make one supportive of violent radicalism in the name of that belief? And that applies to the ENTIRE political spectrum equally? C’mon, are you suggesting that habitually applying a different standard to those with whom you disagree is hypocritical and intellectually dishonest? You might be in the wrong place. ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/95 "2013-04-19T16:00:55Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > How many of the Weather Underground flew planes into the IRS again? How many conservatives were responsible for the bombing of Sterling Hall? ---
**Author:** ![DJ\_Motorbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DJ\_Motorbike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DJ_Motorbike)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/96 "2013-04-19T16:31:36Z")
> [@Blkshp](#): > > So, you are suggesting that the simple fact that an individual’s political belief or an element of it, might be consistent with that of a violent radical, it doesn’t necessarily make one supportive of violent radicalism in the name of that belief? And that applies to the ENTIRE political spectrum equally? C’mon, are you suggesting that habitually applying a different standard to those with whom you disagree is hypocritical and intellectually dishonest? > > You might be in the wrong place. If it makes you happy substitute leftist terrorists in general for Bill Ayers. I only named him because he’s probably the best known domestically. My point remains the same. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/97 "2013-04-19T17:10:45Z")
I find it interesting (and a little sad) that the majority of the early suspects named on these boards were: a. Right winger/Tea partiers b. Gun nuts c. Or both If someone had said they believed it was a Muslim they would have been ripped apart as racist, an Islamaphobe and probably had bad breath to boot. Even as more information was coming in about the suspects, people on this board were dismissive, almost twisting their logic into knots to avoid any possible chance that a Muslim was responsible. I realize and understand that the members of this board lean to the left. However, is everyone so eager to be PC and anti-conservative that they would immediately discount the most likely suspects? I immediately thought Islamic terrorist, possibly with AQ backing, based on: 1. The event – domestic terrorists make statements against their enemies when they choose their targets. OKC was a big “F you” to the government. The abortion clinic bombings are pretty self-explanatory. Who is the enemy in the marathon? No one. This was a way to show America just how vulnerable we are and that hitting soft targets is a great way to disrupt American life. 2. The means – the pressure cooker bomb is a terrorist IED of choice going back about a decade. Easy to make, cheap and causes a crap-load of damage. More “bang for the buck”, you could say. AQ touted how great they were in their online magazine Inspire. Domestics seem to prefer the ANFO or pipe bomb method. Creating a device that has been more commonly used in roadside bombings seemed unlikely. 3. Multiple explosions – Doing more than one attack, either simultaneously or within a short time span, is a common tactic of various terrorist organizations. 9/11 had four hijackings going on at once. The 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania occurred at almost the same moment. Hezbollah and Hamas frequently set off a bomb then have a second explosive go off shortly afterwards to get the first responders. Domestic terrorists seem to go for one big bang. Am I profiling people? Maybe. But when you hear an animal howling in the woods your first thought wouldn’t be, “Werewolf!” I looked at what we initially knew and drew what I saw as the most logical conclusion. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/98 "2013-04-19T17:35:52Z")
> [@Slypork](#): > > I find it interesting (and a little sad) that the majority of the early suspects named on these boards were: > a. Right winger/Tea partiers > b. Gun nuts > c. Or both > > If someone had said they believed it was a Muslim they would have been ripped apart as racist, an Islamaphobe and probably had bad breath to boot… Well, some of us were speculating on what we thought. Not all of us mentioned right wing or gun nuts; I didn’t, but I didn’t say Muslim either. The thing is, neither did you. It’s easy to wade in here after the fact and point things out, but you didn’t make any prediction of your own. Anyway, we don’t know the motives at this point. The fact that they are Muslim doesn’t necessarily make this an Al-Qaeda attack you know. They could just be a couple of messed up kids. ---
**Author:** ![Blkshp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blkshp/32/7135_2.png) [@Blkshp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blkshp)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/99 "2013-04-19T17:39:40Z")
> [@DJ\_Motorbike](#): > > If it makes you happy substitute leftist terrorists in general for Bill Ayers. I only named him because he’s probably the best known domestically. > > My point remains the same. I am agreeing with you. Specious comparisons are a dime a dozen. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946/100 "2013-04-19T17:54:02Z")
I didn’t think it was Islamic terrorists because the setting and the timing didn’t fit as well as well as it would for a domestic terrorist. If it was an attack on an iconic building like something in DC or Statue of Liberty, or an attack on the metro, I would have thought more along the lines of Islamic attacks. The Boston Marathon is a very specific event that has regional importance. It didn’t click in the back of my mind as a target of interest for foreign terrorists. I mean, it’s outside of my awareness, so I assumed it was outside of Al Qaeda’s awareness as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/likely-suspects-in-boston-marathon-bombing/655946.md?page=6)