Boston: One of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings was captured after a firefight with police, a US official said on Friday after the FBI released pictures and videos of two men in connection with the incident. According to the official with knowledge of the investigation, one suspect has been captured and another remains on the loose in Watertown after the firefight, the Boston Globe reported. Authorities have established a 20-block perimeter as they search for him, he said.
Earlier the FBI released pictures and videos of two suspects and sought the public's help in identifying the men who are seen carrying backpacks near the finish line of the race before the blasts that killed three persons and injured over 180 on Monday. In the video footage from surveillance cameras along the route of the marathon, the two men are seen walking together on the sidewalks in the direction of the finish line.
The men, named 'Suspect 1 and Suspect 2', were wearing caps and carrying backpacks. The FBI did not give any information about the ethnicity or nationality of the two young men. The agency said one of the suspects set down a backpack at the site of the second explosion in front of a restaurant.
"After a very detailed analysis of photo, video, and other evidence, we are releasing photos of the two suspects...They appear to be associated," FBI Special Agent in-charge Richard DesLauriers told reporters. He said the agency has relied on the public to be its "eyes and ears" and people could play a critical role in identifying and locating the suspects.
DesLauriers cautioned that in the event of the suspects being identified, the public should not approach them but inform law enforcement agents. "We considered them to be armed and extremely dangerous. No one should approach them. No one should attempt to apprehend them except law enforcement. Do not take any action on your own," DesLaurier added.
The development came just as President Barack Obama visited the city to address an inter-faith service held in the memory of the blast victims. Obama vowed that those responsible for the attacks would be brought to justice and bombs would not deter the spirit of the people of the city and nation.
"Yes we will find you and yes you will face the justice. We will hold you accountable," the President said. "The perpetrators of this senseless violence, these small stunted individuals who would destroy instead of build and think somehow that makes them important. That is what they don't understand. Our faith in each other, love for each other ....that is our power. That is why a bomb cannot beat us, we don't hunker down...we carry on, we race."
FBI released the pictures and videos after pursuing thousands of leads and tips in the four days since the twin bombings ripped through cheering crowds at one of the most popular marathons in the world. Nearly 27,000 people were participating in the marathon as thousands lined the sidewalks to cheer friends and family. Investigators believe pressure cooker bombs were hidden in the backpacks and the lid of the one of the pressure cookers was found on a rooftop at the site of the bombings.
"The images from Monday are indelible and the horror of that day will remain with us forever. This further underscores our obligation to investigate this crime judiciously in order to bring those responsible to justice. The victims and the survivors deserve that much," DesLauriers said. DesLauriers said based on the investigation in the days following the blasts, they had initially zeroed in on a "single person of interest".
"Not knowing if the individual was acting alone or in concert with others, we obviously worked with extreme purpose to make that determination. The FBI then developed a second suspect," he added.
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