The Boston Bombs

[sandyRoe]

Would the fact that two exploded almost simultaneously point to a team of bombers rather than a lone 'mad bomber'?

[237SJ]

It could do but then again they could have been set up with a timer. Then detonated by one mobile phone

[Gromit]

No. The bombs had unsophisticated timers. Like the ones used in kitchens. They are easy to set and is why the bombs went off minutes apart rather than simultaneously. If they had been detonated remotely at the same time, then that would indicate a professional team.

But let's wait for more info to emerge before speculate too much.

[jake-the-peg]

Sounds more to me like an old ploy - you set off one bomb then time or trigger another to detonate as the security/emergency services move in to investigate or help.

[aelmpvw]

if al qaeda were responsible wouldn't they be bragging about it by now?

[FredPuli43]

The bombs were only about 100 metres apart, One man with two bomb packages could easily place them both so close together and few, if any, timers are that sophisticated that they would set the bombs off to the exact second. These two bombs still went off only a short time apart.

[jomifl]

If the delay of the second bomb was intended to harm the emergency workers it would have been placed closer to the original bomb and there would probably have been more of a delay. It looks as if they were meant to be simultaneous but the timers weren't quite synchronised. I wouldn't mind betting it was an amateur 'all american nutter' attack.

[Gromit]

Just to clarify, the bombs were 12 seconds apart. Not minutes, but not simultaneous either. They were timed when the peak number of runners were expected to finish, shortly after 4 hours from the start. On a packed finish straight, syncronised explosions would get the most casualties. A delay, even a short one, would see people move toward the original blast to help. The unsyncronised detonation would indicate the timers were not sophisticated. They were not detonated by mobile phone.

[Sharingan]

It doesn't strike me as being very sophisticated, so to me that would point towards a disgruntled individual rather than a terrorist cell. Couple that with the fact it's a race, and the bombs were placed to damage the lower half of people and no-one has claimed responsibility then I would say a disgruntled athlete who hasn't claimed responsibility because they are now terrified of the repercussions of what they have done and the consequences. That's my amateur sleuthing over on the subject.

[Titehead]

Highly unlikely to be al qaeda.

These bombs were very crude and made from kitchen appliances eg pressure cooker with nails and ball bearings.

True it is an old ploy Jake but I think in this instance it is simply the way they went off ie no planning or intention

[Jubz]

I don't know if it was one or two people but I agree with aelmpvw that I doubt it was al qaeda as I'm sure they would have claimed responsibility by now.