Authorities Have Not Arrested Their 'Possible Suspect' in Bombings
After viewing security-camera footage from the surrounding area, investigators have identified a "possible suspect" in the Boston Marathon bombings, several outlets are now reporting.
That is literally the only "news" that everyone agrees on, not that it reallly even qualifies as news. All the other conflicting reports are below.
Update 3:36 p.m. Oh, what the fuck ever.
RESET: Boston bombing investigators focus on possible suspect in surveillance video cbsn.ws/ZrPAJP
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 17, 2013
Update 3:08 p.m. According to the Globe, the federal court house has been evacuated. Lauren Collins of NECN says it's possibly a bomb scare or fire drill.
Update 3:04 p.m.
CNN guest: "Now he knows he's a suspect." Host: "How does he know that?" Guest: "Because we just reported it."
— Andy Carvin (@acarvin) April 17, 2013
Update 2:58 p.m. Here's the FBI statement:
Contrary to widespread reporting, no arrest has been made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack. Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting.
Update 2:51 p.m. CBS is reporting that the man is a "white male, wearing white baseball cap on backwards, gray hoodie and black jacket."
Meanwhile, on CNN:
CNN: "This individual may be known or unknown."
— Barry Petchesky (@barryap1) April 17, 2013
Update 2:44 p.m. So we just spend two hours watching CNN flail about, starting with John King breaking the news of the "possible suspect"—whom anchor John King, and John King alone, has described as a "dark-skinned male individual"—apparently seen on security cameras at a nearby Lord & Taylor, "carrying, and perhaps dropping, a black bag at the second bombing scene."
From there they (and some Boston outlets) reported that he had been arrested! And was heading toward a courtroom! (Meanwhile, NBC and CBS reported the opposite: no arrests had been made.)
And then they walked that back: he's in custody, but not arrested.
And then they gave up. Tom Fuentes said he had highly placed FBI sources saying no arrests had been made and no one was in custody; everyone else's sources vanished; and CNN started to feel more embarrassing than an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Update 2:34 p.m. CNN has more or less completely "taken it back," as they say.
CNN'S JOE JOHNS: No arrest has been made, no one is custody, citing Department of Justice officials.
— Stefan Becket (@stefanjbecket) April 17, 2013
Former FBI asst dir Tom Fuentes on CNN saying his sources say no arrest AND no identification yet.
— Andy Carvin (@acarvin) April 17, 2013
Boston P.D. says no arrest:
Despite reports to the contrary there has not been an arrest in the Marathon attack.
— Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 17, 2013
Update 2:21 p.m. CNN is now walking back their arrest report, but insisting someone is in custody:
CNN now backtracking, saying there may be a suspect in custody, but not actually under arrest yet.
— Andy Carvin (@acarvin) April 17, 2013
That being said, local Herald crank Howie Carr is reporting that an arrest has been made.
And the Globe is saying someone is custody:
Boston Globe source reports one person in custody for Boston Marathon bombing.
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) April 17, 2013
Update 2:05 p.m. CBS is reporting that no arrest has been made, so. SOMEONE's gonna be wrong.
JUST IN: @cbsnews has learned that NO ARREST has been made in Boston Marathon bombing case CBSNews.com
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 17, 2013
Update 1:46 p.m. CNN's John King, citing both a Boston and a federal source, is reporting that an arrest has been made.
Update: According to WCVB and AP, an arrest is "imminent or may already have taken place"; meanwhile according to NBC's Pete Williams, there is no suspect at all.
#BREAKING: According to @wuwcvb, an arrest in #BostonMarathon bombing is imminent or has already taken place.
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) April 17, 2013
BREAKING: Law enforcement official: Arrest imminent in Boston Marathon bombing, suspect to be brought to court.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 17, 2013
NBC News: Authorities have identified “a number of people” in video collected, but not calling them suspects or witnesses at this time
— Jesse Rodriguez (@JesseRodriguez) April 17, 2013
BREAKING NEWS: Source: Authorities have an image of a suspect carrying, and perhaps dropping, a black bag at the second bombing scene.
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) April 17, 2013
Physical description of possible suspect was given to John King of CNN by his source: a dark skinned male
— Anthony De Rosa (@AntDeRosa) April 17, 2013
BREAKING NEWS: Source: Authorities have an image of a suspect carrying, and perhaps dropping, a black bag at the second bombing scene.
— Boston.com News (@BostonDotCom) April 17, 2013
No image or other identifying information has been released (it's "sensitive," John King says), so, uh, all we know for sure is that authorities saw a dark-skinned guy who maybe dropped off a bag at the second bombing scene. Guess they were on Reddit too?