Explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon

[Lucas]

Some progress, it seems:

Boston Globe link

[WayAbvPar]

CNN is reporting that an arrest has been made.

[Lucas]

Yep: here's an article from the Associated Press:

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fbi-appeals-help-solving-marathon-bombings

[WayAbvPar]

CNN is reporting that an arrest has been made.

And the "Days Since CNN Had to Walk Back a Breaking News Story" sign is reset to "Zero" (stolen ruthlessly from Twitter).

[Shannow]

Moakley Federal Courthouse being evacuated. Supposdly.
hrrm.

[pxib]

The library where I work is taking this opportunity to implement a zero-tolerance policy on unattended bags.

[ghost]

Wow.  A good friend of mine who has run the past 2 Boston Marathons got lucky and had to do something else this year instead.  Her family stood in the exact same place that the first bomb went off waiting for her to finish both years. 

[Tale]

OTOH, that bearded dude with the blue shirt looks kind of Ted Kaczynski-ish.

This. If it's anyone in the 4chan pics, it's him.

[MahrinSkel]

The suspect they are officially looking for matches the guy with the puffy coat and white baseball cap.  Some indications that they brought in *someone* under extremely tight security, if true that would indicate that they think it was a group and they don't want the others to know someone was busted, because they'll rabbit.

--Dave

[Ghambit]

Judging by the pics of the bomb fragments (the Tenergy battery, circuit board, and Zhongzeng wire), and now commentary on the news... my suspicions on the detonation device are near confirmed.  It's likely a remote detonation device derived from an R/C model.  None of the trigger mechanism components are necessarily off-the-shelf items... they're fairly niche, so easy to track.  I used to be pretty heavy into R/C (I've spent many thousands in those hobbies) and the folk in those forums are leaning towards an R/C Helicopter receiver/motor-controller.  Right now they're working on placing the system, but leaning towards a chinese "clone" model helicopter (clone being a chinese company copying a popular/more-expensive american model), due to the batt, wire, and board.

Essentially it'd work like this:
The big Tenergy batts would provide voltage to the motor controller and receiver (if the receiver didnt have its own supply).  The entire setup would likely be laid INSIDE of the metallic pressure cooker with the receiver antenna soldered to the pressure-cooker housing.  This allows the whole thing to stay sealed w/o having to putty a hole closed, and the cooker itself acts towards reception.  The guy(s) walk away with the transmitter (likely up to 1/2 mile away max) and hit the throttle, engaging the receiver in telling the the motor controller to "apply voltage" to the system; instead of being connected to an electric R/C motor, the two wires are simply left with an air gap next to the accelerant (the powder).  And boom.  Note: you can make a HELLUVA spark with an electric-powered RC rig; enough for a sustained stream of hot plasma until you shorted the batts.  So the thing sparks and sets it off.  Each bomb would have a discrete frequency for each receiver, to which one receiver could switch to or two receivers could engage separately.  If one receiver, it'd take just about the amount of time between blasts to switch xmitter crystals for the 2nd bomb.

Anyways, just more armchair sleuthing.

Also, back to some   stuff.  Guy on the site the below img is hosted picked up 4chan's work and figured out those two guys in the pic are likely private merc/security contractors from Craft Intl (obvious from the garb they're wearing - the hat is clearly a Craft hat, both wear matching military gear, etc.)  They have their gear before and after the attack, but are pretty much the most suspicious guys in those series' of pics.  My guess is they were simply hired by the BAA to watch the marathon and failed to notice the bomb placed right in front of their faces.  Either that or they were backup to a larger plot.  Queue x-files music.



I also do now have unedited pics of the aftermath, but really... I can't post them.

[Ghambit]

update (forgive the external links):
Here's the batt. pack:



Here's the motor controller:



There's a third board that's likely the broken remnants of the receiver board. Experienced RCers always take their boards out of the casings btw.:

[Morat20]

Well, the Ricin stuff is strangely bipartisan. (Obama and at least one Republican Senator, I believe).

If the Ricin stuff is connected, I'm gonna say "Domestic" almost certainly. Foreign groups would send something a lot worse than Ricin, and not to the people whose mail is screened so thoroughly that there's no damn way it's getting through.

I pissed off American angry? More likely.

It's been saddening to watch the coverage, though. Some pundit mentioned there are two types of "news scoops". One is when you figure out, through hard work and informants and all that newspapery stuff, something big that no one else knows. The second is where you report something everyone knows, but first.

The former is the actual important type. The latter is what the TV news media (and to a closer extent, the paper media -- but only their online segments) is obsessed with. It's also the fucking stupidest. "Oh look, we reported X thirty seconds before CNN! I'm sure millions of viewers will now tune into us first from now on, because THIRTY SECONDS FASTER".

It is, of course, also the most likely to get screwed up. Hence things like "OMG< arrested Saudi in hospital!" stuff from day one (or the amusing "Supreme Court rules ACA unconstitutional" from last year)

[MahrinSkel]

I'm with you on the parts, but that battery was not inside the pressure vessel, nor was what you identify as the receiver board.  Look at them, the batttery and what remains of the casing are damned near pristine, unburnt.  The motor board on the other hand looks pretty toasted.

The RC angle makes this spring to mind: Mysterious drone spotted near JFK airport.

--Dave

EDIT: Also, you can buy that stuff over the counter at some specialty RC shops, and fairly anonymously straight from the manufacturers in China.

[Ingmar]

The Republican Senator that got the ricin letter (Roger Wicker, from Mississippi) is one of the guys who voted to end the gun control filibuster. Only particularly controversial thing I could find about him, other than the usual Republican stuff  - but there were 15 other Republicans who did the same and weren't targeted, so maybe nothing to do with it.

[Lakov_Sanite]

It's morbidly fascinating to watch this unfold in the age of information. 9/11 was before everyone had smartphones, before news was constant and all-encompassing so we didn't get this sort of depth. I almost wonder if committing such a crime now is impossible to do without being caught and make no mistake the person(s) responsible for this will be found sooner than later because quite frankly you can't be "under the radar" in this country anymore.

[Ghambit]

I'm with you on the parts, but that battery was not inside the pressure vessel, nor was what you identify as the receiver board.  Look at them, the batttery and what remains of the casing are damned near pristine, unburnt.  The motor board on the other hand looks pretty toasted.

The RC angle makes this spring to mind: Mysterious drone spotted near JFK airport.

--Dave

EDIT: Also, you can buy that stuff over the counter at some specialty RC shops, and fairly anonymously straight from the manufacturers in China.

Good points, but remember the only thing of the pack we've seen is 1 or 2 cells - the rest of it could be toast.  And we've only got an img. of about 1/3 of the receiver board.  It's pretty obvious the ESC (motor controller) was right up next to the accelerant though.  Look at the burnt leads where normally the motor would attach.  Maybe they puttied between there and the ESC and left it outside the cooker (leaving the leads inside), but still seems more likely the whole thing was just layin in there.  If that's the case, then how did the entire ESC survive though?  It's possible those remnants simple made it through.  But eh, you're probably right.

Simple putty wouldn't be enough though. They likely used a 2-part epoxy putty or some such.  Rock solid.  However, I see no indication of remnants... so maybe just regular filling material was used.  Regardless, it's damned obvious those leads by the ESC were very near the point of ignition.

It's morbidly fascinating to watch this unfold in the age of information. 9/11 was before everyone had smartphones, before news was constant and all-encompassing so we didn't get this sort of depth. I almost wonder if committing such a crime now is impossible to do without being caught and make no mistake the person(s) responsible for this will be found sooner than later because quite frankly you can't be "under the radar" in this country anymore.

There's nothing morbid about it.  If you have special knowledge in these situations, you're almost morally obligated to share.  It saves lives and prevents loss later on.  I used to be a mere "interested non-entity" until hurricane Katrina hit, wherein I learned amateurs can make extreme differences; moreso in later storms.  Similar happenings on a less somber front, during the Cassini-Huygens mission - wherein amateurs chunked the data quicker than the ESA... which is why the project managers on big projects like Curiosity make special efforts to give us the .RAWS and datasets when they come down.

The govt isnt as stupidly closed-minded like they used to be.  Which is smart.

[MahrinSkel]

Think about it: What you don't want is a premature detonation while you're building or carrying it, you need it to be inert but easily armed.  So: Shrapnel matrix around the inner wall, detonator assembly surrounded by gunpowder in the center, wires through the pressure valve hole (on the lid), battery and receiver assembly attached to the outside, the pot is roofed over with epoxy or something with wires to the motor/detonator sticking out (so that nothing shifts and you don't have to worry about loose powder when you're putting on the lid).  You use Molex connectors or something like that on the ends of all the wires.

You connect the wires from your detonator to your passthrough and seal the lid, duct-tape your receiver/battery assembly to the outside but don't connect the wires, carry it to the site, connect the wires, repeat at the second location (or have an accomplice).  Walk to a safe distance, find a spot you'll be unobserved, and then follow your sequence (turn on transmitter, throttle up, change frequencies, repeat).

--Dave

EDIT: And being at the center of a black powder "explosion" is being at the center of a very fast, hot fire, no blast wave to shred the board.  Bet there was a model rocket igniter between those wires, which initiated the black powder and smoked itself in the process.

EDIT2: If you zoom in on the motor board pic, you can see the connector on the end of the wires.  And I think those fat wads *are* the igniters, they used two of them to be sure.

[Lantyssa]

Also, back to some   stuff.  Guy on the site the below img is hosted picked up 4chan's work and figured out those two guys in the pic are likely private merc/security contractors from Craft Intl (obvious from the garb they're wearing - the hat is clearly a Craft hat, both wear matching military gear, etc.)  They have their gear before and after the attack, but are pretty much the most suspicious guys in those series' of pics.  My guess is they were simply hired by the BAA to watch the marathon and failed to notice the bomb placed right in front of their faces.  Either that or they were backup to a larger plot.  Queue x-files music.

The hat looks like the Punisher symbol to me.

[Ghambit]

Also, back to some   stuff.  Guy on the site the below img is hosted picked up 4chan's work and figured out those two guys in the pic are likely private merc/security contractors from Craft Intl (obvious from the garb they're wearing - the hat is clearly a Craft hat, both wear matching military gear, etc.)  They have their gear before and after the attack, but are pretty much the most suspicious guys in those series' of pics.  My guess is they were simply hired by the BAA to watch the marathon and failed to notice the bomb placed right in front of their faces.  Either that or they were backup to a larger plot.  Queue x-files music.

The hat looks like the Punisher symbol to me.

Craft International:


Here's a third one of em (carrying something too big to be a cell phone):


This part of the saga is less about who's at fault and more about who didnt do their job.  There were THREE (3) highly trained operatives within 20 yds of the 1st device and they couldn't prevent it.  Especially so if there was a "perceived threat" or "clear and present danger (someone called in a bomb threat, etc.)" explaining why they were there; aside from the known bomb-squad drills they were running earlier in the day.

[MahrinSkel]

Anyway, the point to this sperging over the design of the bomb is that this was probably not anyone with explosives training or experience, this was a "Wizard Mad Bomber" with a background in RC vehicles.  Apparently the black-powder pressure cooker was something used for IED's in Iraq, so maybe a vet (most soldiers don't get real explosives training).

If I was with the FBI I'd be running down known RC enthusiasts in the Northeast, and checking every shop for someone who normally buys RC stuff but recently bought some rocket igniters.  And having Customs peering over the declarations for small shipments from China and flagging any adresses that hit the trifecta (boards, battery case, igniters)

--Dave

EDIT: Or it could be a rocket ethusiast who dabbles in RC, there's some overlap and they are complimentary skillsets

[Venkman]

Well, the Ricin stuff is strangely bipartisan. (Obama and at least one Republican Senator, I believe).

One needs to be a very special kind of stupid to think you can mail the President that kind of thing and expect a) to succeed; and, b) not be discovered. I'm sure we'll find out the guy they picked up has a "history of..." blah blah blah.

I like ya'alls theorycrafting here. It's cathartic

The govt isnt as stupidly closed-minded like they used to be.  Which is smart.

This.

[KallDrexx]

One needs to be a very special kind of stupid to think you can mail the President that kind of thing and expect a) to succeed; and, b) not be discovered. I'm sure we'll find out the guy they picked up has a "history of..." blah blah blah.

I'm more surprised someone thought they could mail a letter address to the President and expect him to be the one to open it.

[Ghambit]

Anyway, the point to this sperging over the design of the bomb is that this was probably not anyone with explosives training or experience, this was a "Wizard Mad Bomber" with a background in RC vehicles.  Apparently the black-powder pressure cooker was something used for IED's in Iraq, so maybe a vet (most soldiers don't get real explosives training).

If I was with the FBI I'd be running down known RC enthusiasts in the Northeast, and checking every shop for someone who normally buys RC stuff but recently bought some rocket igniters.  And having Customs peering over the declarations for small shipments from China and flagging any adresses that hit the trifecta (boards, battery case, igniters)

--Dave

I'm curious if over-the-counter powder (muzzleloader stuff) would be able to pull off this kind of explosion - the smoke looks right though.  I suppose so in a pressure cooker type vessel, but if it's not really sealed tight the reaction wont move fast enough to make much effect.  It's possible this guy is already registered somewhere to purchase real black powder, as you'd have to be to acquire the stuff outside of gun ammo (yup, ammo is exempt of course).  The ATF would have that on file.  The best igniters would have to be hand-made (with aforementioned black powder), as again, you can't just purchase/sell them retail w/o being on a watchlist.  Your run-of-the-mill ESTES igniter isnt quite the same thing, but you can get moderately better on-the-shelf with something like an Aerotech kit at any hobby store.  They're hit or miss though unless you've got a really easy burning accelerant.  Given the voltages they were likely using it probably wouldn't matter; it's plenty.

As a Tripoli lvl 1 high-powered rocketeer, I'm unfortunately flagged for sure.  But I never got far enough into the black powder to have to deal with direct background checks.  I stuck strictly with hybrids (NOS+rubber).  If I needed igniters (mostly for the recovery stage) I'd get them from fellow hobbyists.  

It IS possible they made a resistive igniter from a muzzleloader shot; you'd buy the slugs off the shelf, wrap it in wire with a resistor in the circuit, then overload the circuit.  That in turn sets off the main charge.  You do this twice, just like in the ESC pic of the two burnt leads.

Still think we dont need firearm background checks in this country?  Ludicrous how the Senate failed to legislate even that today.

[MahrinSkel]

They didn't. They were sending a message: I've got Ricin and I'm prepared to use it.  Putting it in a letter is a lousy way to deliver it if you want it to be fatal, but it catches their attention.

--Dave

[Pennilenko]

Even though I know the internet is a power resource for information on how to do just about anything, it still scares the shit out of me that some of you are all too knowledgeable in the arena of bomb making.

[angry.bob]

Even though I know the internet is a power resource for information on how to do just about anything, it still scares the shit out of me that some of you are all too knowledgeable in the arena of bomb making.

Really, effective bomb making is one or two steps away from 2/3rds of the nerd hobbies that aren't watching TV. Frankly I'd be more surprised if most of us haven't at least tried to make some sort of explosive device in our lives. Especially as teenagers. It's not a batshit crazy thing, it's an american teenage boy thing. Or at least it used to be. Like firecrackers, but boomier.

[MahrinSkel]

Even though I know the internet is a power resource for information on how to do just about anything, it still scares the shit out of me that some of you are all too knowledgeable in the arena of bomb making.

Bombs are just "Chemistry + Physics = Bang", and the electronics is pretty basic (as Ghambit pointed out, you can buy it off the shelf).  Anybody reasonably bright can learn the theory, actually doing it without blowing yourself up, that's the hard part.  I grew out of it as a teenager before I had done any worse than burning a hole through the concrete floor of a garage with home-made thermite, but the same curiousity that pushes someone to know how their computer *really* works can apply to weapons.

--Dave

[Tale]

Massive explosion and fire right now in Waco.

Seems like a fertiliser plant blew up. But seriously... timing.

[Shannow]

The anti-shitting up part of this thread...

The National Anthem at tonight's Bruins game...
Found here

[Ingmar]

I like ya'alls theorycrafting here. It's cathartic

It makes me want to delete my posts in the thread lest I get caught in the sweep that picks these people up. 

[Paelos]

The anti-shitting up part of this thread...

The National Anthem at tonight's Bruins game...
Found here

Good on them.

[Rasix]

I like ya'alls theorycrafting here. It's cathartic

It makes me want to delete my posts in the thread lest I get caught in the sweep that picks these people up.  

I'm waiting until at least page 10 before I turn this over to the authorities.  You've got time.

[Tale]

Even though I know the internet is a power resource for information on how to do just about anything, it still scares the shit out of me that some of you are all too knowledgeable in the arena of bomb making.

It makes me want to delete my posts in the thread lest I get caught in the sweep that picks these people up. 

Same people turn threads about shootings into which gun is best.

[Ghambit]

I like ya'alls theorycrafting here. It's cathartic

It makes me want to delete my posts in the thread lest I get caught in the sweep that picks these people up. 

My gf yells constantly at me for my hobbies, postings, studies, etc. for fear some Men In Black will break down my door; but I'm at the "fuckit" stage of my life at this point in those regards.   In all seriousness though, I'm already on some watchlists w/o a doubt (for a variety of perfectly legal reasons).  I could care less.  Gotta carry on as normal.  Plus when Underverse come the muggles will be licking my boots for help.   

If they wanted to watch someone, though, they should watch the bumfuck gun-toting rednecks and punks in my neighborhood.

[MahrinSkel]

I like ya'alls theorycrafting here. It's cathartic

It makes me want to delete my posts in the thread lest I get caught in the sweep that picks these people up.  

I'm waiting until at least page 10 before I turn this over to the authorities.  You've got time.

I'm sure I'm already on a few watch lists with an annotation of "Mostly Harmless".

--Dave

EDIT: Seriously paranoid bastard that I am, if I had any thoughts of ever using this knowledge, you'd never see me talking about it.  It's the stuff I know that I'm silently holding in reserve you need to worry about.