Massive manhunt shuts down Boston

Updated

House-to-house search Police are conducting a house-to-house search for the second marathon bombing suspect. Police hunt suspect Police have shot a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, and are hunting for one more. 'Stay in your homes' Boston police say one bombing suspect is dead and another is on the run. Boston manhunt Police cordon off the area around the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after a fatal shooting. Campus shooting Dramatic footage shows a man lying on the ground surrounded by police after a shooting at MIT. Shots fired A Watertown resident recorded the sound of a barrage of gunshots.

Boston police say one suspect from this week's marathon bombing is dead and another is on the run after a gun battle in suburban streets.

A massive manhunt is underway, with police shutting down the entire city of Boston, stopping public transport and urging businesses to close.

Police confirm the surviving suspect is 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. US media reports the other bombing suspect is his brother, Tamalan, came to the US from the Russian province of Dagestan, near Chechnya.

The search for the bombers came to a head when the FBI released photos this morning showing two men wanted over the deadly Boston bombings.

A university police officer was shot dead hours later on campus at MIT in nearby Cambridge.

As police were responding to the shooting, reports emerged of a carjacking involving two men who were firing at police with automatic weapons and detonating explosive devices in the suburb of Watertown.

Police confirmed the carjackers were the bombing suspects and one was killed in the confrontation with police.

Suspect two remains at large, with police warning he is armed and dangerous.

NBC reports both bombing suspects have been living in the US for more than a year.

Read how the manhunt unfolded. All times AEST:

3:26am: Boston Police have tweeted a tribute to the officer shot dead on campus at MIT in nearby Cambridge:

Boston Police Dept. ‏@Boston_Police12m The BPD extends thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of fallen hero and MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. — Boston Police (@Boston_Police) April 19, 2013

2:40am: Authorities have fronted the media in Boston and pleaded with residents of the region to stay at home while they continue to search for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Massachusetts State Police Colonel Tim Alben said officers have searched about 60 to 70 per cent of homes in Watertown but "no apprehension has been made".

Colonel Alben also indicated there would be a "controlled explosion" in coming hours.

2:31am: Massachusetts newspaper The Sun of Lowell has released an image of deceased suspected bomber Tamalan Tsarnaev:

2:08am: US secretary of state John Kerry has refused to speculate on the implications of the reported Chechen roots of two brothers believed to have carried out the Boston bombings.

I think it's fair to say that for this entire week we've been in pretty direct confrontation with evil. The one thing I will say is: terror is terror. And this underscores the importance of all of us maintaining vigilance and cooperating together internationally. It would just be entirely inappropriate for me to be commenting on the tick-tock around the larger issues outside of it.

12:55am: The brothers' uncle Ruslan Tsarni has told US media that was himself at the Boston Marathon earlier this week.

He has told America's CBS network that he is shocked his nephews may have been responsible for the deadly attack, which killed three and injured more than 170.

I just wish they never existed. I'm wordless. I am wordless. These brothers are wanted for killing three people and maiming hundreds of others. I mean guys I know, I've been watching it, I've been reading it. People who did this they do not deserve even existence on this earth.

12:44am: Boston Police say they have located the car they were searching for.

12:30am: Boston Police have tweeted details of a car they are searching for in relation to their manhunt:

#WANTED: Police seeking MA Plate: 316-ES9, ’99 Honda CRV, Color - Gray. Possible suspect car. Do not approach. pic.twitter.com/11eRTJdtaZ — Boston Police (@Boston_Police) April 19, 2013

12:20am: The White House says US president Barack Obama and senior members of his administration are being briefed on the manhunt in Watertown by national security officials and FBI director Robert Mueller.

12:13am: The second man suspected of involvement in the Boston Marathon bombing - who was killed in a shoot-out with police a few hours ago - has been identified as 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Police are continuing to comb streets in Watertown searching for his 19-year-old brother, Dzhokhar, who remains at large.

12:03am: US correspondent Lisa Millar spoke to Lateline from Watertown a short time ago:

11:45pm: AFP have filed a photo of the SWAT teams searching the streets of Watertown:

11:20pm:

The FBI has released a clearer photo of the second bombing suspect, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who police are currently hunting:

11:15pm:

ABC North America correspondent Lisa Millar, who is in Boston, reports on the lockdown conditions facing the city:

Just returned to our hotel in Cambridge. Security checking cars arriving and room keys needed to access front door. City in lockdown — Lisa Millar (@LisaMillar) April 19, 2013

11:10pm:

Police say they have unconfirmed reports the suspect is posting online and threatening to kill police because of his brother's death. The source of the posts is a recently created Twitter account. The account may be fake, but police are monitoring it.

10:53pm:

Police say they have spotted a suspect entering one of the homes. Police activity underway.

10:45pm:

Police are maintaining their perimeter while entering houses one at a time on one of the streets in Watertown. Police are asking media not to report specific location names.

10:39pm:

Police have created a new perimeter. They have converged on an area they believe the second suspect may be hiding. They are waiting in cover for tactical teams to surround the suspected area.

10:30pm:

Boston police have officially confirmed the identity of the bombing suspect who is on the run, backing up earlier reports. The suspect is 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev:

#WANTED: Suspect identified as 19 year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev of Cambridge. Suspect considered armed & dangerous. twitter.com/Boston_Police/… — Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 19, 2013

10:24pm:

Police have briefed all officers that they have found an explosive trigger switch on the body of the first suspect. They now believe the suspect on the run may be wearing a suicide vest. Police have urged officers to exercise "extreme caution" if they spot the suspect.

Police: "Indications are strong that the outstanding party is wearing a suicide vest."

10:06pm:

Boston authorities have extended the shelter in place recommendation to the wider city of Boston. That means a wide-scale shutdown of the city. Businesses should shut and public transport will remain shut down.

Colonel Timothy Alan from the state police told the news conference that authorities need more time to capture the suspect:

"Our number one priority right now is these neighbourhoods in Watertown and making them safe and finding this individual. We need more time. We're making significant progress up, but it may time. Please bear with us."

10:01pm:

Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick addresses media on the ongoing manhunt:

"Suspect one is dead. Suspect two is on the run. We have an MBTA officer who is seriously wounded and is in surgery right now. We have an MIT security officer who has been killed. There is a massive manhunt under way." "We have suspended all service on the MBTA, our public transit service, and that will continue until we think it is safe to open all or some of that. We're asking people to shelter in place, in other words, to stay indoors with the doors locked and not to open the door for anyone other than a properly identified law enforcement officer."

9:56pm:

Officials are about to hold a news conference on the manhunt. You can watch live on News 24

9:45pm:

Authorities have now closed low-level airspace over north-west Boston. The Federal Aviation Administration says it wants to provide a "safe environment for law enforcement activities".

9:40pm:

Police confirming that door-to-door manhunt is still underway:

#CommunityAlert: Door-to-door search 4 suspect in Watertown continues. Uniformed officers searching. Community consent critical. — Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 19, 2013

9:39pm:

Police have completely closed off the Watertown street they were earlier evacuating residents from. Residents are being kept back with police continuing their search for the second suspect:

9:30pm:

There have been a lot of developments today. A manhunt is still underway for the second Boston bombing suspect after the first was killed in a firefight with police. Here's a recap on how the events unfolded:

10:20pm: Police receive information of shots fired at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, across the Charles River from Boston.

10:30pm: A policeman is found shot dead in his vehicle in the east campus of the university.

Shortly afterwards, police receive reports that two men have hijacked a car in Cambridge, holding the driver of the car hostage for 30 minutes before leaving him unharmed at an area gas station.

Police begin searching for the vehicle and found it in Watertown, a suburb near Cambridge.

That sets off a chaotic and deadly chase, during which the suspects throw explosives and both sides trade gunfire. One of the suspects is wounded and is later pronounced dead in the hospital. A police officer is also wounded.

Police launch a house-by-house search in Watertown, hunting for the remaining fugitive who they warn is "armed and dangerous."

2:00am: State police send a tweet asking residents of Watertown to "stay in their homes" and "not to answer the door unless it is an identified police officer."

4:00am: Boston police officially confirm the man killed is one of the two individuals wanted in connection with Monday's marathon bombings, which killed three people and wounded about 180.

"One suspect dead. One at large," Boston police chief Ed Davis wrote in a tweet on his personal account.

AFP All times Boston local timeAFP

9:13pm:

Here is a dramatic scene from earlier in the morning (local time). Armed police walk down School and Walnut Street in Watertown shortly before they exchanged fire with the car hijackers who were revealed to be the Boston bombers:

9:08pm:

Boston's police commissioner says authorities will be setting off a controlled explosion. It is not clear if police have found a suspected explosive device:

Controlled explosion on Vharles St. in Boston by BPD bomb squad.Do not be concerned. — Edward Davis (@EdDavis3) April 19, 2013

8:56pm:

A Watertown local has tweeted the dramatic scene from her window an hour ago as armed police evacuated her neighbourhood, near the scene of the stolen car dumped by the bombing suspects:

8:48pm:

AP news is reporting the two Boston bombing suspects are brothers from Chechnya who have lived in the US for at least a year. AP says the surviving bombing suspect is 19-year-old Dzhokhar A Tsarnaev.

8:40pm:

A car has been pulled over on Commonwealth Avenue, with a bomb squad on the scene removing a device from the boot, local media WHDH reports.

8:29pm:

There are unconfirmed reports that police have detained three people in a cab near Watertown.

8:18pm:

Boston police says the manhunt is continuing and warn residents to remain indoors:

#CommunityAlert: Search for armed suspect continues in Watertown. Residents reminded to remain indoors. All vehicle traffic suspended. — Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 19, 2013

8:12pm:

The sun is up and police and SWAT are going house to house looking for the remaining suspect and evacuating locals from their homes on the street that the suspects abandoned their stolen car.

8:01pm:

Harvard University is closed due to public safety concerns. Please watch Harvard's Emergency page for updates: http://hvrd.me/11IJrsK Harvard University ‏@Harvard

7:53pm:

President Barack Obama has been briefed on the overnight developments in Watertown.

7:45pm:

Another media briefing.

Residents in Watertown, Newton, Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge and the Allston-Brighton neighbourhood in Boston are being asked to stay indoors and stay in their homes.

Vehicle traffic is restricted and businesses in those areas are also being asked to not open until further notice.

Colonel Tim Alden told reporters:

"This situation is grave and we need to protect people here. "We would appreciate your cooperation."

7:44pm:

As daylight approaches, police are continuing to remind residents not to leave their homes and not go to work today.

7:42pm:

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is suspending all services until further notice at the request of police - buses and subway.

7:34pm:

#CommunityAdvisory: Businesses in area of 480 Arsenal St in Watertown closed til furher notice. Employees instructed to remain home. Boston Police Dept. ‏@Boston_Police

7:32pm:

MIT's classes cancelled today in wake of tragedy mitne.ws/17KGbRa — MIT (@MITnews)

7:27pm:

Here is video of the earlier media conference where law enforcement officials confirmed one marathon bombing suspect had died after a confrontation with police:

Sorry, this video has expired Video: Boston police say marathon bomb suspect on the run (ABC News)

7:20pm:

Beth Israel hospital spokesman says the suspect was brought in under police guard in a "traumatic arrest" state.

He says medical teams worked for more than 15 minutes but were unable to save him.

He was pronounced dead at 1:35am (local time).

They say they have no information on his identity.

7:10pm:

While officials are urging residents to remain inside and call 911 if they see the suspect, there are also reports of some unexploded devices on the streets of Watertown following the earlier pursuit.

Police bomb squad officers were called in to inspect one suspect vehicle:

6:39pm:

Below is the latest photo of the "white cap" suspect.

Boston police commissioner Ed Davis told reporters:

"We believe this to be a terrorist. "We believe this to be a man who has come here to kill people. "We need to get him in custody."

6:21pm:

The head of the Massachusetts State Police says the suspect at large in Watertown was involved in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Colonel Tim Alben says the other suspect in the bombing has died after being shot by police.

He has warned members of the public to not approach the suspect still at large.

"What we are looking for right now is a suspect consistent with the description of suspect number two, the white-capped individual who was consistent with the Monday marathon bombing. "He's a white-skinned or Caucasian male with brown curly hair. "He should be considered armed and dangerous. "Suspect number one was shot."

6:16pm:

Officials have announced that the shooting of the MIT campus police officer was committed by two men who then committed an armed carjacking in Cambridge.

A joint statement by Middlesex acting district attorney Michael Pelgro, Cambridge police commissioner Robert Haas and MIT police chief John DiFava said:

"Authorities launched an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. The investigation determined that two males were involved in this shooting. "A short time later, police received reports of an armed carjacking by two males in the area of Third Street in Cambridge. "The victim was carjacked at gunpoint by two males and was kept in the car with the suspects for approximately a half hour."

The statement said the victim was released at a petrol station and was not injured.

"Police immediately began a search for the vehicle and were in pursuit of the vehicle into Watertown. "At that time, explosive devices were reportedly thrown from car by the suspects. "The suspects and police also exchanged gunfire in the area of Dexter and Laurel streets. During this pursuit, an MBTA police officer was seriously injured and transported to the hospital."

The statement said one suspect was critically injured and transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

"An extensive manhunt is ongoing in the Watertown area for the second suspect, who is believed to be armed and dangerous. "The case is being investigated by local, state and federal authorities working in cooperation. "The Massachusetts State Police bomb squad is assessing and removing any potentially explosive devices that may have been thrown on the street in Watertown by the suspects."

6:12pm:

Boston police have now released an image of a wanted suspect:

6:07pm:

Boston's police commissioner announces via Twitter that one suspect in Watertown is dead.

He says the "white hat" suspect from the marathon bombing is still at large.

One suspect dead. One at large. Armed and dangerous. White hat suspect at large. — Edward Davis (@EdDavis3)

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5:56pm:

The FBI has released the following statement about the ongoing events in Watertown:

"We are aware of the law enforcement activity in the greater Boston area. "The situation is ongoing. "We are working with local authorities to determine what happened."

5:52pm:

There is a 20-block exclusion zone in Watertown.

Officials say they will be holding a media briefing soon.

5:48pm:

A quite deliberate and extensive hunt continues for a second suspect in Watertown:

Police will be going door by door, street by street, in and around Watertown. Police will be clearly identified. It is a fluid situation. MASS STATE POLICE‏ @MassStatePolice

5:41pm:

Residents in and around Watertown should stay in their residences. Do NOT answer door unless it is an identified police officer. MASS STATE POLICE @MassStatePolice

5:36pm:

Here is video taken by a resident in Watertown who went outside when they heard gunshots:

5:35pm:

More and more reporters are now saying there are strong links to suggest the events in Watertown are linked to the hunt for suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing.

While officially one person involved in the Watertown shoot-out has been "accounted for", one local television station says the person was shot and killed, while others say he has been captured.

Meanwhile it is believed one transit officer was shot in the Watertown gunfight and is in a serious condition.

5:23pm:

5:02pm:

Multiple reporters on Twitter say they have heard the suspects named on police channels, one of them is allegedly a university student who went missing a month ago.

4:50pm:

The Boston Globe newspaper appears to have gone all in ... reporting that a suspect in the Boston marathon bombing is in custody.

The unconfirmed report is quoting an official close to the investigation as saying one suspect has been captured by police.

The official says police are still on the hunt for another suspect.

4:40pm:

A spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Police says two suspects are "accounted for" in Watertown.

They say officials do not know how many there are in all.

The spokesperson confirmed multiple explosive devices were used against police.

4:16pm:

MIT has issued a statement following the night's events:

"MIT is heartbroken by the news that an MIT police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty on Thursday night on campus near Building 32 (the Stata Center). "Our thoughts are now with the family. "At around 2am, MIT police determined that the suspect was no longer on campus and that it is safe to resume normal activities. "However the MIT police ask that members of the MIT community remain vigilant in the coming hours.

"MIT worked with multiple police departments in order to ensure the safety of the MIT campus. "Police officers swept the campus in search of the shooter and MIT sent text and email messages to the members of the MIT community asking them to stay indoors while the search continued. "We will provide fuller news of this tragedy in the coming hours."

4:02pm:

Local CNN affiliate WHDH has shown this image of a man on the ground and surrounded by police:

3:52pm:

MIT Police have determined that the suspect in this evening’s shooting is no longer on campus. It is now safe to resume normal activities. — MIT (@MITnews)

3:47pm:

Investigators from the FBI are on the scene.

3:41pm:

There was a massive police presence in the Watertown area following reports of a running gun battle with police.

One suspect has been taken into custody (below) while a second remains at large.

3:30pm:

There are conflicting reports about whether the second has been arrested.

3:17pm:

The bombs squad is reportedly en route to deal with unexploded devices and authorities have been told to power off their mobile phones.

3:01pm:

Officers are involved in a pursuit of two people who are allegedly shooting at police from a stolen state police vehicle in Watertown.

Authorities describe explosions caused by grenades or "sticks of dynamite".

An officer is reportedly wounded in the vicinity of Dexter Street.

2:20pm:

Officials confirm the officer has died.

In a statement, Cambridge police said the officer was responding to a report of a disturbance.

"According to authorities, the officer was found evidencing multiple gunshot wounds. "He was transported to the hospital and pronounced deceased. "Authorities launched an immediate investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. "There are no other victims. No arrests have been made."

2:05pm:

Police are sweeping the campus in relation to the shooting at Building 32/76 (Stata/Koch), continue to stay indoors until further notice. — MIT (@MITnews)

1:40pm:

There appears to be little detail on the identity of the shooter.

A local television station says an officer has been shot, quoting the MIT campus police chief.

It is believed the officer has been rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Around 100 police have descended on the campus in Cambridge which neighbours Boston.

Map: Map showing approximate location of Boston university shooting

1:32pm:

A statement on MIT's website says the area has been cordoned off and is warning students to stay away.

1:15pm:

There are reports of a shooting incident on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The incident happened around 10.40pm (local time) so the number of students on campus is expected to be lower.

Sorry, this video has expired Video: The mayhem began with the shooting of a university campus police officer (ABC News)

Topics: emergency-incidents, disasters-and-accidents, united-states

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