BOSTON—Two bombs exploded near the crowded finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday, killing two people and injuring more than 125 others in a terrifying scene of broken glass, smoke and severed limbs, authorities said.
Police found and defused at least one other explosive device. Law enforcement sources tell CBS News correspondent Bob Orr that authorities found one other device that is intact and has not been detonated.
CBS News senior correspondent John Miller reports that a Saudi national is being questioned by authorities. He was seen “acting suspiciously” running from the explosion, and a civilian chased him down and tackled him. He was turned over to Boston police and is being questioned by the FBI. He is being cooperative and denies any involvement.
“This could mean a lot, or this could mean very little,” Miller said. “It’s too soon to call him a suspect.”
Miller reported earlier that authorities are also reviewing surveillance video that shows a man from behind carrying two backpacks near the site of the explosions. Authorities are not sure whether the subject in the video is linked to the blasts.
Boston police say no suspect has been taken into custody.
There was no word on the motive or who may have launched the attack, and authorities in Washington said there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
An FBI official told CBS News that officials are going to sweep the entire length of the marathon to look for any additional devices or any evidence they may find.
A third incident at the John F. Kennedy Library a few miles away and more than an hour later was initially believed to be another explosive device, but library and police officials later said it was an unrelated fire. No one was injured.
The twin blasts at the race took place almost simultaneously and about 100 yards apart, tearing limbs off numerous people, knocking spectators and at least one runner off their feet, shattering windows and sending smoke rising over the street.
Demi Clark, a runner from North Carolina who said she was the crossing finish line as the first blast went off, told CBSNews.com that “blood was everywhere instantly.”
“Nobody knew what to do – after the second one went off we were like, ‘the city’s under attack,'” Clark said.
As people wailed in agony, bloody spectators were carried to a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners.
“They just started bringing people in with no limbs,” said Tim Davey, of Richmond, Va. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to keep their children’s eyes shielded from the gruesome scene.
“They just kept filling up with more and more casualties,” Lisa Davey said. “Most everybody was conscious. They were very dazed.
President Obama said the United States does not know “who did this or why” but vowed that whoever is responsible “will feel the full weight of justice.”
“We will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable,” Mr. Obama said.
James Minicucci, who was arriving in Boston by car to meet friends at the finish line when the explosions happened, told CBSNews.com that the scene was “chaotic.”
“Some guy told us it was really bad, that several people lost their legs, there were amputations and not to go through to finish line area,” Minicucci said.
Some 27,000 runners took part in the 26.2-mile race, one of the world’s premier marathons and one of Boston’s biggest annual events. According to BuzzFeed, 17,584 finished before it was cancelled at 2:57p.m.