Muslim Community Fears Identity of Boston Terrorists

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 19, 2013
All Rights Reserved.                                         

       Since Sept. 11, the American Muslim community has carried a heavy burden convincing the non-Muslim population that they deplore calculated acts of violence against civilians to advance political agendas.  When days, weeks and months ticked off after Sept. 11, American Muslims were slow to condemn Osama bin Laden’s assault on civilization, eventually denouncing terrorism as a legitimate form of resistance.  Before Sept. 11, Palestinians routinely justified terrorism—violence against innocent civilians—as a legitimate form of resistance.  Former President George W. Bush changed that with his “Bush doctrine,” that the U.S. could no longer support any form of terrorism as a political tactic or strategy.  Now Americans Muslims wait anxiously while the FBI and other law enforcement agencies seeking the identity of the bombers that killed three and seriously injured over 170 victims.

             Searching through the charred rubble of bomb fragments, the FBI has already found striking similarity from the pressure cooker bombs found in Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Middle East.  Examining what looks like bbs, ball bearings, nails, screws, washers, etc., the blast debris reflects at least knowledge of al-Qaeda or Taliban bomb-making know-how.  While the FBI and other law enforcement agencies examine a high-resolution security camera videotape from department store Lord & Taylor, Emergency Room surgeons find parallels to the kinds of battlefield wounds from Improvised Explosive Devices in Mideast and South Asian war zones.  Chief trauma surgeon Dr. Peter Burke at Boston Medical Center said the injuries looked a lot like battlefield injuries.  “The major [injuries] that were life-threatening were tissue injuries and vascular injuries,” said Burke.

             While any similarities to battlefield injuries don’t confirm the identity of the bombers, it points toward some Mideast or Asian Subcontinent influence.  “This is something I’ve never see in my 25 years here,” said Alastair Conn, chief of emergency services at Harvard’s Massachusetts General Hospital  “This amount of carnage in the civilian population.  This is what we expect from war,” attesting to comparable military injuries in the Mideast and South Asian battlefields.  Finally calling the April 15 bombings “terrorist acts,” President Barack Obama admitted that, whether the perpetrators are foreign or domestic, they are terrorists.  “Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror,” said Obama.  Recovering a battery, wires and circuit board used in the blasts, the FBI noted the sophisticated nature of the two bombs detonated near the marathon’s finish line.

             Finding pieces of black mesh nylon, the type found in common backpacks and gym bags, gives the best description yet of how terrorists hid the pressure cooker bombs until detonated in large crowds about 2:50 p.m., Monday, April 15.  Touted in al-Qaeda’s Yemen online propaganda, pressure cooker bombs have been featured in “The Anarchist Cookbook.”  Neither the FBI nor local law enforcement have ruled out C-4 or PETN explosives, commonly used in the Mideast and South Asian subcontinent battlefields.  While reluctant to finger any particular group, some experts have been quick to rule out al-Qaida, the Taliban, Hamas or some other Mideat terror group because no one has claimed responsibility.  It’s helpul to remember that no one claimed Sept. 11, flatly denied at the time by the al-Qaeda or the Taliban.  Jordanian extremist Mohammad al-Chalabi praised the Aprul 15 Boston attacks.

             Releasing the Lord & Taylor videotape Thursday afternoon, the FBI hoped that the public could make some positive identification.  “I wouldn’t characterize them as suspects under the technical term, but we need the public’s help in identifying possible uspects,” said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at a budget hearing on Capitol Hill.  Lead FBI Special Agent Richard Deslauriers asked the public for help.  “Somebody out there knows these individuals as friends, neighbors, co-workers or family members,” hoping the suggested infiltration happened over a period of time.  Whether admitted to or not by the FBI or Boston police, both men look dark-skinned, possibly Middle Eastern, though the videotape images were somewhat obscured.  Disappearing into the crowds after the blasts, it’s clear that the bombers had getaway plans after the Monday afternoon incident.

             Tracking down the bombers is no easy matter for the FBI and Boston law enforcement.  It’s entirely unclear whether Boston or Massachusetts authorities grounded all departing flights after the blasts.  While it’s doubtful either terrorist boarded any flights, there were multiple escape routes, including hopping the Masschusetts Pike and hightailing it out of town.  Suggesting that the bombers were somehow holed up in Boston isn’t realistic.  Since their stealth operation eluded local, state and federal law enforcement, it’s entirely possible they’re long-gone from the Boston area.  “The investigation is proceeding apace,” said Napolitano.  “This is not an ‘NCIS’ episode.  Sometimes you have to take the time to properly put the chain together to identify the perpetrators,” showing at this point how desperate and lost the FBI and local police are for a break in the case.

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news.  He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com.and author of Dodging the Bullet and Operation Charisma.