Boston marathon bombs were pressure cooker IEDs packed with ball-bearings: Devices that killed three, including eight-year-old boy waiting for his runner dad are used by terrorists in Afghanistan



Pressure-cooker bombs were packed with shards of metal, nails and ball bearings

Devices are frequently used in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, according to Homeland Security

An al-Qaeda magazine last year listed U.S. sporting events as one of 'the most important enemy targets'



An eight-year-old boy and a 29-year-old woman were among the three killed in the attack



176 people injured, at least 17 of them in critical condition and 'a lot' of amputations have been performed

Surgeons describe numerous severe injuries from 'pellets, shrapnel or nails from inside the bombs'



Investigators do not know of motive for the bombs or who is behind them but are questioning 'many people'

Obama vows to bring bombers to justice: 'The American people will not be terrorized'




The two bombs that killed three people and injured at least 176 at the Boston Marathon on Monday were made from six-liter pressure cookers crammed with shards of metal, nails and ball bearings and stashed in black backpacks, police sources revealed today.

The cruelly-designed bombs have 'frequently' been used in Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan, according to a 2010 Homeland Security Department pamphlet - hinting at the origins of the bombers behind the worst terrorist atrocity in the U.S. since 9/11.

When the devices exploded near the crowded Boston Marathon finish line around 2.50pm on Monday, victims suffered as many as 40 shrapnel wounds each and at least 10 people needed amputations. Witnesses described seeing body parts flying through the air and shoes that 'still had flesh in them'.

This afternoon, a second victim killed in the blasts was identified as 29-year-old Krystle Campbell, from Arlington, Massachusetts. It comes after another was named as eight-year-old Martin Richard. The third victim has not yet been named.



The bombs used to kill and maim are believed to have contained black powder or gunpowder as the explosive, and information on how to make such a bomb is available on the internet, experts said. The devices were then left at the scene to look like discarded property, CBS News reported.



Investigators have also found pieces of an electronic circuit board which could indicate a timer was used in the detonation.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT AND VIDEO BELOW

Investigation: Officials survey the site of a bomb blast on Boylston Street in Boston searching for evidence that might help them find a suspect or suspects

Collecting evidence: Two men in hazardous materials suits put numbers on the shattered glass and debris as they investigate the scene at the first bombing on Boylston Street Prior warning: U.S. authorities had warned years ago that terrorists could use metal pressure cookers to cause deadly carnage, pictured Malaysian authorities confiscated pressure cookers in 2003

Bomb: Images from a Homeland Security Department pamphlet shows a diagram for rudimentary improvised explosive devices using pressure cookers. Police sources have revealed that the deviced used in the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday used pressure cookers filled with shrapnel and ball bearings



Killed: Eight-year-old Martin Richard from Dorchester, Massachusetts was among the three people killed when two bombs detonated at the Boston Marathon on Monday Loss: Krystle Campbell, pictured, also lost her life in the terrorist attack. Doctors originally confused her identity with a friend, so her parents believed she was alive



Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, similar devices were used in the failed 2010 attempt to bomb Times Square by Faisal Shahzad, who admitted he had undergone bomb-making training at a militant Islamist faction camp in Pakistan. A pressure-cooker bomb is also a preferred weapon of al-Qaeda and listed as the 'most effective' weapon of jihad, according to an English-language terror magazine called Inspire, in an article entitled 'How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom'. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Obama insists federal government 'will get to the bottom of'... Share this article Share Another article in Inspire last year listed 'the most important enemy targets' for jihadists in America - and included sporting events, CNSNews noted. The aim should be to target 'human crowds in order to inflict maximum human losses,' a terrorist known as Abu Musab al-Suri wrote. 'This is very easy since there are numerous such targets such as crowded sports arenas, annual social events, large international exhibitions… etc.' Martin Richard, 8, who was waiting at the finish line with his father, mother and siblings, was among those killed when the two bombs detonated at the crowded sports event. His mother has undergone brain surgery and his six-year-old sister lost a leg. His 12-year-old brother escaped injury.

Blast: Runners continue to run towards the finish line of the Boston Marathon as the first of two explosions erupts near the finish line of the race Exact Moment: People react as the second explosion goes off near the finish at the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course Neighbors told MailOnline about the moment Martin Richard's father, Bill, returned home still wearing hospital scrubs on Monday night and looking like the 'walking dead' as he struggled to come to terms with his son's death and injuries suffered by his wife, Denise, and daughter, Jane. In a statement released on Tuesday, he said: 'My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries. 'We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin. We also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover. Thank you.'

Doctors confused another victim, Krystle Campbell, 29, with her friend, so for hours her parents believed she was alive and undergoing surgery. Only when they went to visit her in hospital, did they realize the patient was not their daughter .

Loved: Peace is written on the sidewalk in front of the Richard house in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, left, while neighbors embrace in the street

Sympathy: Flowers and gifts are left by loved ones outside of the Richard family home in Dorchester, Massachusetts on Tuesday morning First pictures: Martin was killed in the first explosion as he waited to give his father a hug at the finishing line. His sister and mother were also injured Tragic: Martin Richard, right, is pictured with his family. His mother, Denise, has undergone brain surgery and his six-year-old sister Jane lost a leg in the blast, while his older brother, Henry, 12, escaped injury. They are also pictured with his father, Bill

A LOOK INSIDE THE HOSPITALS: HOW ARE THE VICTIMS?

Boston Children's Hospital 8 injuries; 0 critical condition Ages from 2 to 15 years old Massachusetts General Hospital 29 injuries; 8 critical condition; 4 amputations Ages from 28 to 71 Brigham and Women's Hospital 31 injuries; 5 critical condition Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center 24 injuries; 4 critical condition; 13 in serious condition Tufts Medical Center 9 injuries Boston Medical Center 23 in total; 19 still remain at the hospital 7 critical condition; 6 serious; 6 fair Please check back for updates 'My daughter was the most lovable girl,' her father, William Campbell Jr. said. 'She helped everybody, and I'm just so shocked right now. We're just devastated. She was a wonderful, wonderful girl. Always willing to lend a hand.' Another, unnamed victim was also killed in the blasts. Seventeen of the injured remain in a critical condition and CNN reported that at least 10 victims have needed amputations. At least nine of the wounded are thought to be children, including a two-year-old boy who suffered a head injury. Another child hurt in the blast was 11-year-old Aaron Hern, of Martinez, California, who was hit by flying shrapnel in his thigh as he waited for his mother to cross the finish line. He is being treated at Boston Children's Hospital and is expected to undergo further surgeries. Doctors treating the wounded agreed that it appeared the devices had contained sharp metal. Investigators do not know of a motive for the bombings, nor do they have a specific suspect or anyone in custody. In a desperate move, they have appealed to members of the public to submit photographs and cell phone footage of the marathon and explosions.

Earlier reports noted that officials had arrested a Saudi national, who is being treated for burns and shrapnel wounds, in connection to the bombings after a civilian saw him acting suspiciously at the scene. But now officials have revealed the man, Abdulrahman Ali Alharbi, 22, is being regarded as a witness, rather than a suspect, the Washington Post reported.

It comes after 20 police and federal officials raided his home on Monday night, but the search turned up nothing. After the twin detonations ripped through the cheering crowds, one witness told CNN that it 'felt like a huge cannon' and other described horrifying scenes of screaming spectators, missing limbs and unresponsive bodies. Hunt: Police and federal officials exit an apartment complex at 364 Ocean Avenue with a possible connection to the earlier explosions that occurred during the Boston Marathon on Monday

Sorting through: Bags of people's belongings are sorted near to the Boston Marathon finish line on Tuesday as investigations continue into the bombings Probe: Officials take crime scene photos a day after two explosions hit the Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts as they try to figure out who was responsible Paying their respects: People embrace at Boylston Street near the finish line of the marathon on Tuesday morning, a day after the twin blasts

WAS THE TIMING SIGNIFICANT? PATRIOTS' DAY IS REVERED BY RIGHT-WING GROUPS OPPOSED TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Yesterday's attack took place on Patriots' Day, which marks the first battle of the Revolutionary War and the 'shot heard 'round the world.' It is a day held in reverence by right-wing domestic groups and others who oppose the federal government.

The 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building, which killed 168, occurred the day after Patriots' Day. Bomber Timothy McVeigh was said believe the date was significant.

The federal siege of the Branch Dravidian compound, which left 82 members of the cult dead, began on Patriots' Day in 1993.

Today is also Tax Day, when federal income tax returns are due. In recent years, it has been seized on by members of the Tea Party as cause to protest federal government policies and tax rates.

A Justice Department source tells MailOnline that authorities are looking into the possibility that the Boston attack, which killed three and injured 144 more at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, could have been planned to coincide with Patriots' Day.

President Barack Obama himself acknowledged the significance of the holiday during his briefing this afternoon.

'Today is Patriots Day,' he said. 'A day that reflects the freedom Boston has celebrated throughout its history.' 'Bodies and body parts. Blood all over,' District Fire Chief Ron Harrington of the Boston Fire Department's District 3 said. ' A little boy lying in the street. A young woman in her twenties. Both dead. It was mayhem. I saw two people with arms hanging loose, and one without a leg. A shoe with flesh still in it.' At a press conference outside Mass Gen hospital on Tuesday morning, Dr George Velmahos, chief of trauma surgery at the hospital, revealed that eight patients between the ages of 28 and 71 remained in critical condition at the hospital. Among them four people had undergone amputations, and he said they were still trying to save two legs. Other injuries included wounds from 'pellets, shrapnel, nails', which he believed came from the bombs. Some victims were hit by '10, 30, 40' pieces and most injuries were to the lower extremities. 'The experience is obviously overwhelming,' he said. 'We are all extremely sad. We are suffering emotionally for what happened to the people of Boston and many others. But at the same time, we can't feel but proud because the medical community here in Mass Gen responded in an amazing way.' He described one doctor who ran the marathon but then, despite being dehydrated, went straight to work, while others jumped on planes to help out. Doctors at Brigham and Women's Hospital added that they had treated 31 patients from the bomb blasts and that five remain in critical condition. Initially counter-terrorism sources in the city believed that seven devices were planted across the city - but only two detonated.

A law-enforcement official said late on Monday evening that investigators believe other packages were simply left behind as runners and pedestrians rushed away from the scene in the aftermath of the blasts. A federal law enforcement official told CNN that both bombs which detonated at the Boston finish line were small, and initial tests showed no C-4 or other high-grade explosive was used - indicating they were crude devices. In a press conference on Tuesday morning, Obama reiterated authorities are still unaware of who was behind the attack - whether it was the work of an organization or a 'malevolent individual'.

For the first time he acknowledged it was an act of terrorism.

'We will bring them to justice,' he vowed, recounting stories of kindness and heroism following the blasts. 'The American people refuse to be terrorized... If you want to know who we are, who America is, how we respond to evil, that's it: Selflessly, compassionately, not afraid.' In another press conference on Tuesday, Boston officials said the investigation continues with a 'multitude of resources on the street'. Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers said there are no known additional threats, while Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley branded the attack 'an act of cowardice'. An aerial graphic that show how the tragic events of today unfolded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon Map of the bomb sites in relation to the city and the marathon which was run on Monday Injured people and debris lie on the sidewalk near the Boston Marathon finish line following an explosion in Boston, Monday, April 15, 2013 Horrific Injuries: Medical workers aid an injured man at the 2013 Boston Marathon who screams out in pain 'We will go to the ends of the Earth to identify the subject or subjects who are responsible for this despicable crime -- and we will do everything we can to bring them to justice,' DesLauriers said. Commending the efforts of volunteers and emergency responders, Mayor Menino added: 'I've been mayor for 20 years now and I've never seen... people pull together like this. It's a tragedy, but Boston is a resilient city.' After the twin detonations ripped through the cheering crowds, witnesses described the horror. The fiery twin blasts took place about 12 seconds and about 100 yards apart, knocking spectators and at least one runner off their feet, shattering windows and sending dense plumes of smoke rising over the street and through the fluttering national flags lining the route. Blood stained the pavement, and huge shards were missing from window panes as high as three stories.

An injured person is helped on the sidewalk near the Boston Marathon finish line following Monday's two bomb blasts

Looking to heaven: A woman kneels and prays at the scene of the first explosion in Boylston Street as the city comes to terms with the atrocity

The explosions ripped into an idyllic afternoon finish for the marathon. The first men had passed the finish line 2 hours and 10 minutes after the staggered start, and the first women crossed just 16 minutes later.

The first blast sent a quick plume of smoke two stories high. Runners nearby stopped in their tracks, confused and unsure. After a few seconds later, a second explosion happened a half-block away, with a deep boom caught on television cameras.

Emergency personnel rushed to the area, and the street was quickly sealed off.

'I saw it go off and smoke billowed up. Everyone just stopped and hunched down,' said Pam Ledtke, 51, from Indianapolis, who was about 75 yards from the finish line when the explosions went off. 'They didn’t know what to do. All of a sudden, people were screaming.'

One doctor, Allan Panter, stood near to the finish line said he was 25-feet away from the first blast when it detonated.



CELEBRATION TURNED TO TRAGEDY: HOW THE HORROR AT THE BOSTON MARATHON UNFOLDED

9 A.M. - The 2013 Boston Marathon begins.

11:58 A.M. - Rita Jeptoo of Kenya becomes the women's winner, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:26:25.

12:10 P.M. - Men's winner Lelisa Desisa, of Ethiopia, finishes with a time of 2:10:22.

2:50 P.M. - Two blasts go off only seconds apart at the finish line, less than 100 yards from each other on the north side of Boylston Street.

3 P.M. - A fire breaks out in the mechanical room at the JFK Presidential Library, but is reportedly not related to the explosions at the marathon.

3:34 P.M. - The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority announces multiple sections of the Green Line will be suspended due to police activity.

4:02 P.M. - The first official reports from the Boston Police Department list two dead and 23 injured.

4:30 P.M. - A third blast goes off near the JFK Library though no one is injured. Authorities say the explosion is being treated as an 'ongoing event.'

4:30 P.M. - Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis holds a press conference urging people to remain indoors and not congregate in large groups.

5:23 P.M. - The fire in the JFK Library is put out.

6:10 P.M. - President Barack Obama addresses the nation, vowing: 'We'll find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this.'

6:30 P.M. - One of the dead is reported to be an 8-year-old boy.



Walking Wounded: A man staggers away from the scene of the explosions at the 2013 Boston Marathon in Boston S.W.A.T. team members stand guard on the campus of Massachusetts General Hospital following the marathon bomb blasts on Monday

Terror: An injured individual near the finish line of the Boston Marathon is rushed away from the scene on a stretcher on Monday



Horrific Scene: The aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing on Monday evening in the city

A Boston police officer wheels in injured boy down Boylston Street as medical workers carry an injured runner 'I just can’t believe anyone would do something like this,’ Estologa said. Veteran marathon runner Bill Iffrig, 78, was almost at the finish when 'the shock waves just hit my whole body and my legs just started jittering around.' Iffrig, can be seen wearing an orange tank top and falling to the ground in video of the explosion, and was helped to his feet by an event volunteer and had just a scratch from his fall, he told CNN. Right after the blasts, police officers could be seen carrying bloody spectators to medical tents intended for exhausted runners in desperate attempts to save lives. 'They just started bringing people in with no limbs,' said runner Tim Davey of Richmond, Va. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to shield their children's eyes from the gruesome scene inside a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners, but 'they saw a lot.'

Speech: President Barack Obama spoke on Monday evening, saying that the American people stand by those in Boston affected by today's bombing



Lucky Escape: Boston Marathon runner Bill Iffrig appears on Piers Morgan on CNN after the marathon explosions on April 15, 2013 Seventy-eight-year-old Bill Iffrig, who fell to the ground in the seconds after the blasts, has become one of the unfortunate icons of the Boston marathon bombings

Seventy-eight-year-old Bill Iffrig, of Lake Stevens - is helped from the floor as stewards run to help those affected by the blast - as the second explosion can be seen detonating in the distance

The Boston Marathon has been held on Patriot's Day, the third Monday of April, since 1897. The event, which starts in Hopkinton, Massachusetts and ends in Boston's Copley Square, attracts an estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000 participants every year. Of the 23,326 runners who started the race on Monday, 17,584 finished before the blast, marathon officials said. The runners were diverted before officials brought the marathon to a halt. The Boston Marathon released a new statement on Tuesday afternoon, extending its sympathy to families affected by the bomb blasts and thanking all those who helped save lives.

'What was intended to be a day of joy and celebration quickly became a day in which running a marathon was of little importance,' it said.

'Boston is strong. Boston is resilient. Boston is our home. And Boston has made us enormously proud in the past 24 hours. .. We are committed to continuing that tradition with the running of the 118th Boston Marathon in 2014.'



Action plan: Runners who had not finished the race were stopped before the Massachusetts Avenue overpass

Boston police examine the damage following the massive twin detonations on Monday at the Boston marathon

A man is loaded into an ambulance after he was injured by one of two bombs exploded during the 117th Boston Marathon near Copley Square on April 15, 2013

A person who was injured in an explosion near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon is taken away from the scene in a wheelchair

An unidentified Boston Marathon runner leaves the course crying near Copley Square

Have a friend running the marathon? Check o ut this site to find their most recent checkpoint. Additionally, families looking for loved ones should call 617-635-4500. Anyone with info about explosions should call 1800-494-TIPS



Additional reporting by Sara Nathan.





