BBC was just interviewing a terrorism expert who opined that it looks like domestic terrorism.

[pampango]

I am listening to the BBC Newshour. This expert (Bob Ayers?) offered that the blast seems like is was caused by 'black powder' which is less sophisticated and less powerful than that customarily used by foreign terrorists. It is easily purchased in sporting goods stores in the US and it can be fashioned into a bomb without much expertise.

Due to the fact that most of the injuries were to lower extremities, the bombs were most likely placed on the ground like in back packs without more powerful explosive and sophisticated shrapnel that would have caused even more casualties.

Lastly, he said that foreign terrorists are almost always quick to claim credit for the terrorism that they perpetrate. They are trying to achieve a political impact so hiding the motivation behind the attack does not serve their purpose. Domestic terrorists, OTOH, usually want to get away with their violence and not be caught (like Timothy McVeigh) and often do not make public claims of responsibility since doing so might lead to their capture and prosecution.

Of course, this person repeated many times that we simply don't know at this point who was responsible. He was offering observations of what it looks like from his perspective at this point in the investigation (which he is not involved in).

[samsingh]

1. based on the weapons used, i would tend to agree - but nothing is certain yet

[Robb]

2. Media coverage also plays a part in home-grown bombs.

When it gets a lot of attention for being particularly atrocious, domestic groups lay low or even deny involvement -- especially if they think they're leading some kind of populist revolt.

[Stuart G]

4. Some good points made here....nt

[geek tragedy]

3. the technology may prove to be that associated with home grown

That's not conclusive, but it's something I guess.

[slackmaster]

5. I take it the expert has not made an attempt to buy black powder in the US recently

It's been all sold out, everywhere for months.

But it is very easy to improvise from materials that are not difficult to obtain.

[Hoyt]

13. Let's hope a few of the gun nuts who have been buying it didn't decide to up the ante.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. Just as likely to be a lone-wolf al Qaeda type: the "symptom" is that the bombs were unsophisticated

That could certainly mean dumbshit militia idiots. Or it could mean a dumbshit al Qaeda sympathizer with little formal training. Or it could mean a dumbshit teenager sick in the head. Or it could mean a wacked out local cult. Or it could mean an asshole angry about his divorce. Or anything, really. Here's what it rules out: a well-trained or expert bombmaker with plentiful access to bomb-making materials. In other words, the guys that make the really badass bombs in the war zones did not make this bomb. That doesn't rule out al Qaeda for me, in principle. It just rules out the most expert of the al Qaeda types. It also rules out, I think, former military people with specialty explosives training. So, basically, what we know is that these were non-expert bombs built by a non-expert with little access to bomb making materials. In other words, it still could be anyone.

[peace13]

9. Maybe, but why does AQ have to stick its neck out now ...

When we are busy attacking ourselves. Their work here is done. We can no longer shop, attend schools or movies, attend church or sporting events without being attacked by one of our own.

Weirdest part is that Congress doesn't care about the attacks on the people. Not one thing has been done to keep the population safe from itself. Go figure!

[alcibiades_mystery]

11. There are pro and con arguments against each group of possible suspects

Personally, I think al Qaeda types are always trying to hit, non-stop.

Now, my feeling is that this is domestic, and maybe even ridiculously and unexpectedly stupid as to cause (as opposed to the typical or expectedly stupid causes, like the right wing dunces). My point was only that the conclusion of one thing or another cannot be drawn from the bomb's themselves at this point, IMHO.

[MineralMan]

7. Another person with no actual evidence filling some space

in a news program. They come out of the woodwork at the behest of news directors desperate to fill the gaps between new real information.

[Whiskeytide]

16. That's true, certainly...

... but it doesn't necessarily make the observations invalid. Only speculative. There's nothing wrong with a little speculation at a time like this. At least this guy qualified his speculation as merely that, unlike many of the attention seekers being put on parade by the media today. His observations are supported by his expertise to the extent of his knowledge of the facts released so far. That makes it at least worth noting, but certainly not worth cab fare to the bank.

I agree with your post earlier that time will get to the bottom of this. But in the meantime, human nature is to speculate. If you have had a conversation with anyone this morning about the bombing, speculation would have been the meme. DU is, after all, merely an online conversation. Fortunately, no one here (at least as far as I know) is tasked with the actual responsibility of solving the crime. That's a good thing, I think.

[Cleita]

8. Using back packs would be an opportunistic type of bombing

being the marathoners had back packs strewn around the finish line for them to retrieve after they finished the run. So maybe it wasn't the anniversary date thing that some are speculating about but just an opportunistic strike by a sick mind.

[alcibiades_mystery]

12. Agreed: The lack of sophistication of the bombs will be matched by an unsophisticated cause

The reasons for this are probably dumber than we can even imagine at this point.

[Sheldon Cooper]

10. I really do think it'll turn out to be the work of a home-grown nutjob.

There's just too much coincidence regarding dates and locations for this to be anything but the work of some Tim McVeigh-style anti-government jackass. I could be wrong but I doubt it.

[rocktivity]

14. It feels domestic to me, too

I knew right away that the Oklahoma City bombing was domestic terrorism -- international terrorists target internationally known cities. These bombs, though numerous, were relatively small. Sure, it could be politically motivated since it happened on Patriot's Day in Boston. But I can't shake the feeling that this will be more like the Columbine massacre -- the work of some misfits with a personal grudge.


rocktivity

[FarCenter]

15. The bombs would appear to have been black powder packed with balls and nails

The yellow-orange flame shown in some of the videos, along with the smoke, look like black powder.

The Mass General surgeon in interviews this morning said that they had removed as much as 20 to 40 objects from patients. These objects appeared to be metal balls, like BBs or ball bearings, and nail-like objects.

Blacked powder does not explode unless it is in a container which allows complete combustion and the buildup of pressure before bursting. So it is usually in a pipe or similar device. The lack of a shock wave typical of high explosives such as TNT, C4, HMX, etc, may mean that the parts of the detonator and triggering devices are more intact than they might otherwise be.

I'm going with the domestic deranged person theory.