Person briefed on probe: Boston explosives made of pressure cookers with metal, ball bearings

[JaneyVee]

All I have is a breaking Tweet from AP so far: https://twitter.com/AP/status/324191494577729536

[Mass]

1. Briefed by whom? Who is this person? AP is just as irresponsible as CNN

They cannot wait to tell us things they know for a fact.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. translation: They spoke to CBS and not AP.

Here's the snippet CBS reported that AP is alluding to.

A law enforcement source told CBS News that one of the explosive devices appears to have been placed in a metal pressure cooker (a metal kitchen pot with a locked down top) which had been placed in a black nylon bag or backpack. Investigators also found pieces of an electronic circuit board possibly indicating a timer was used in the detonation of the bomb.

A law enforcement official told CBS News that the two bombs that exploded were made to look like discarded property. It is still unknown if one or both bombs were in garbage cans. One may have been on the sidewalk.

The bombs were described as "low explosive," but with "anti-personnel" packing. This is consistent with doctors reporting shrapnel pulled from victims. The official said there were apparently things like BB's, ball bearings and nails in the bombs.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57579766/fbi-seeks-images-in-boston-marathon-bomb-probe-vows-to-go-to-ends-of-the-earth-to-find-suspects/

[backscatter712]

6. "Low explosive" = black powder or smokeless powder.

Definitely not made by someone with access to pro-grade materials.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

7. Ah, I didn't know what that meant.

Thanks for explaining it. I was curious what they were speaking I there.

[PearliePoo2]

2. Watching the briefing from the doctors on MSNBC..

they said that many victims had multiple foreign objects embedded in their bodies, including nails.

[2ndAmForComputers]

4. Cue stupid gun nuts saying "we should ban pressure cookers" trying to be sarcastic.

(Sorry for the redundancy)

[frylock]

5. already saw that yesterday on facebook..

why isn't Diane Feinstein rushing through legislation to regulate bombs derp?! several of us chimed in to let him know that explosives are regulated. this guy has several AR-15s.

[2ndAmForComputers]

8. Predictability and intelligence are inversely proportional to each other.

[2ndAmForComputers]

10. Told ya.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/17/us/boston-blasts/index.html?hpt=hp_t1#comment-865953019

Darwin • 5 hours ago

Which brings us to the REAL issue. In the WRONG HANDS these things can be EXTREMELY DANGEROUS and we as a society simply cannot afford to have pressure cookers out there that are completely uncontrolled. We are talking about some common sense laws. First, most people do not need high capacity pressure cookers. Limiting pressure cookers to a quart will make society safer. In addition, with all the documented instances of pressure cookers being used to construct explosive devices, and in light of the numbers of killed and injured, two things are clear: pressure cookers are lethal and we are in the midst of a pressure cooker violence epidemic. There is no need for pressure cooker nuts to run around with their pressure cookers without any regulation and oversight. Mandatory mental health evaluations and federal background checks will help to ensure that a pressure cooker doesn't fall in the wrong hands. Should people convicted of felonies and domestic violence misdemeanors be banned from owning pressure cookers? ABSOLUTELY! Even if it saves just one life, it's worth it. How about that soccer mom? Well, it depends. What if she loves soccer but hates America? Do you REALLY want THAT soccer mom to have unfettered access to something so potentially deadly?

[Xithras]

9. As I posted in the LBN version, this was probably Pakistani Taliban.

The pressure cooker bomb is a relatively common IED design in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but is rarely used elsewhere. It is also a design that was used by the Times Square attempted bomber a few years ago. That one turned out to be a naturalized Pakistani-American citizen who had been recruited by the Pakistani Taliban. They've also been seen in Kashmir and in the train bombings in Mumbai.