Confusion in American Media after Boston Attacks

The reliability of information has been the first victim of the growing impatience relating to the investigations into the terrorist attacks on Monday, April 15 in Boston, as all media outlets frantically rush to be the first to announce the identities and motives of the terrorists. Ahead of its colleagues, and on the basis of an anonymous reliable source from the FBI, CNN announced that a suspect was “about to be identified” by investigators. The man appeared on surveillance camera images inside a Lord & Taylor store carrying, and then depositing, a package covered with a black cloth at the location of the second explosion. It was assumed that the two pressure cookers, containing a mixture of explosives and scrap metal, were wrapped in tissue or black nylon stockings, traces of which were found on site.

The “Caucasian” male, according to American administrative terminology, appeared in these images wearing a gray hooded jacket and a baseball cap worn backward. Soon, the future tense used by CNN became the present tense in other media outlets: The FBI has a target, a suspect is in its hands. Less than half an hour later, the FBI denied holding any “suspect” and asked all media to “exercise restraint” in order to avoid spreading unconfirmed information.

Press Conference Cancelled Without Explanation

A press conference was announced for 5:00 p.m. Finally, we would learn more; alas, it never took place. A half-hour before its start, it was cancelled without explanation. Presumably, a lively debate took place at the highest level of the team, led by the FBI, which preferred silence for the sake of the investigation. This led to even more public disappointment.

Meanwhile, a new episode had convinced the FBI not to rush. Waiting to see a suspect brought before a judge, hundreds of journalists had rushed to a federal court in Boston. But the rise of this rumor set its own wheels in motion and was soon followed by a bomb threat at the courthouse, forcing police to evacuate immediately.

This rumor was then either just a hoax or reflected a desire to harm. “There are so many expectations, so many people who want to know who committed this abomination that sometimes the pressure on the media becomes too strong,” noted an anchor at a local Boston CBS station to explain her colleagues’ haste.*

Public’s “Natural Frustration”

What is known about the status of the investigation? The FBI has identified video images that they consider potentially critical. After viewing thousands of photos and videos taken by individuals and hours of surveillance camera footage, as well as listening to an immeasurable number of telephone conversations, the FBI considers this the first progressive evidence in the search for a suspect. As for the images, they date to about an hour before the explosion.

Finally, a person has been questioned, though we’re unsure if he is the man seen in the images. No one has been arrested. And we certainly don’t know the number of terrorists, their identity or their motivation. Deval Patrick, the governor of Massachusetts, said he understood the public’s “natural frustration that the perpetrators haven’t yet been found,” but he warned that “it’s going to be a slow investigation.”

The consequences of this delay, and the subsequent growth of uncertainty, are beginning to be felt. In large cities, the number of alerts to suspicious packages is rising. A suspect in connection with letters containing ricin sent to several U.S. officials, including President Barack Obama, was arrested Wednesday in Mississippi.

*Editor’s Note: This quote, while properly translated, could not be independently verified.