It must have been with great trepidation that FBI officials posted the video stills Thursday afternoon of the two suspects of the Boston Marathon Bombings. Surely, they would have preferred to handle the hunt without, a) public involvement, and b) the bombers knowing they had been identified and thus had a chance to either alter their images or go into hiding. IT’S HOPED the remaining brother can be caught alive to help answer questions as to what prompted the two young men to plant the two bombs at the marathon’s finish line.
But in testimony to how connected the world has become since the age of wireless technology, within hours of the postings, Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters were flooded with thousands of calls with possible tips including the video of the two brothers robbing a 7-Eleven store later that day.
As of this writing, one of the suspects has been killed in a violent shootout with officers. The other was thought to be holed up in Watertown, a Boston suburb. My bet is his demise is not far off.
Boston, again, was held hostage by the incident on Friday. Schools, shops, businesses were all ordered closed. People were warned not to answer their doors and go to their basements in case another gunfight erupt on city and residential streets as was the case late Thursday night when the older of the two brothers was killed in a shootout with officers.
Is there a connection to their homeland of Chechnya? Are they part of a broader movement or were they lone wolves? Were there others involved in Monday’s bombings? Is this the beginning of something bigger? Or were they, like the suspect who recently sent ricin-laced letters to President Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, desperate for their 15 minutes of fame at any cost.
The whole story, from the race to its tragic ending, to now the hunt for the perpetrators, has held the country in its grip. There wasn’t any way for it to end without more tragedy.
It’s my nature to find silver linings in the face of woe. This time, I’m left wanting.
Boston lockdown: We all were there
