NYTimes: Boston Marathon Blasts Kill 3

I was hearing bits and pieces of what happened in Boston, Massachusetts earlier today. Basically there was a marathon and some people were killed and injured thanks to a bomb near the finish line:

Two powerful bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, killing at least three people, including a child, and injuring at least 100 as one of this city’s most cherished rites of spring was transformed from a scene of cheers and sweaty triumph to one of screams, bloody carnage and death.

About three-quarters of the 23,000 runners who participated in the race had already crossed the finish line when a bomb that had apparently been placed in a garbage can exploded in a haze of smoke amid a crowd of spectators on Boylston Street, just off Copley Square in the heart of the city. It was around 2:50 p.m., more than four hours after the race had started, officials said. Within seconds, another bomb exploded several hundred feet away.

Pandemonium erupted as panicked runners and spectators scattered, and rescue workers rushed in to care for the injured, some of whom had lost their legs in the blast, witnesses said. The reverberations were felt far outside the city, with officials in Washington heightening security on public transit and shutting down streets near the White House. Pennsylvania Avenue was cordoned off by the Secret Service in what one official described as “an abundance of caution.”

In New York, the Police Department said it was stepping up security at hotels and other prominent locations in the city until more is learned about the explosion.

Here's more, this is what else I've seen out there about who possibly did this deed:

In the chaotic hours after the explosions, according to a person briefed on preliminary developments in the investigation late Monday afternoon, there were reports of three unexploded devices. Police officials said at least one was detonated in a controlled explosion.

At their final briefing Monday night, officials said that the F.B.I. had taken over the investigation. Richard DesLauriers, the special agent in charge of the Boston office, called it “a criminal investigation that is a potential terrorist investigation.” But they offered no information on what they had found or what they were investigating except to say that they were bringing “very substantial federal resources” to bear.

It was unclear Monday evening who might be responsible for the blast. Although investigators confirmed that they were speaking to a Saudi citizen, several law enforcement officials took pains to note that no one was being held in custody.

While the authorities have not arrested the Saudi man, he has remained at a hospital under close supervision by law enforcement authorities, according to a senior law enforcement official.

By nightfall, the authorities were acting on the belief that there had only been two explosive devices. As a precaution, the authorities had blown up several bags — which they believed were likely left by marathon runners — that were on the streets near the attacks.

Treated like a potential terrorist act! Well hopefully more facts come out as to who perpetrated this and why.