Out of Pod Experience

For reasons completely unrelated to this I have decided not to participate in any marathons

How big is a grenade? I'm in no way understating the attack, but I *do* have first hand experience with terror bombings and I am applying that experience to this event.

I haven't heard any hypersonic shockwave i.e. was a low explosive (like, gunpowder). That's also coherent with how it created lots of smoke and a fireball was visible. As it didn't shattered the building glasses, this tells it had a small blast radius.

It looks like a small gunpowder device and that points to a homegrown crackpot.

He at least reflexed to it. What was up with the jogger with the wobbly legs? Doesn't look like he even got hit by anything.

He was old and very tired, his own reaction to the blast must've knocked him over.

The dude in the orange shirt however doesn't even look back.

Hi folks,

We're truely shocked by this event and we understand that people want to discuss what's happened; but please regard the rule regarding the discussion of politics and try and not to draw any speculative conclusions about which party might or might not have been responsible.

I offer my deepest condolences to anyone who was affected by this terrible occasion :(

I really doubt it was international. This looks like an act of domestic terrorism to me.

Tragic and unnecessary loss of life and injury :-(

I don't see where anyone in here claiming that any of this was 'OK.'
I know you'r stressed from events, but try to check-fire until you know who the enemy is, M'kay?


The devices *were* small. Not firecrackers, bigger than grenades, and certainly lethal, but things could've been much, much worse. Pray thanks-giving for small mercies... Such as the fact that medics were right there where they were needed. Lives were spared by your efforts - God Bless.

The relatively small blast radii and the large amount of smoke generated leads me to think home-made, relatively low-explosive devices. Most commercial and military explosive devices I'm familiar with don't waste energy creating large quantities of smoke unless that's their purpose.

Low-cost, low effort attack on a very soft target. If fear was the purpose, then also a very efficient attack. Could be anyone from a terrorist organization to a crazed loner. I'd tend to think that the better-organized terrorists wounld't do something on this small a scale though - theyv'e largely come to recognize the old maxim of 'never do an enemy a small injury.' I'd look for splinter groups, home-grown groups, and lone wolves operation on their own innitiatives. Politically, who knows the motivation? Maybe there's not political motivation at all - Maybe just someone with a head full of worms.

One thing is for certain - someone has a whole lot of vengance coming their way soon enough.

2046 EST: Police are questioning a suspect.

Does it really matter as to how they did it ?
To be frank , ANFO explosives would have been much easier to make as compared to the silly grinding needed for gun powder (I tried) .

When I saw this on the news it reminded me of this .

Striking fear into all Americans regardless of space and time , class and race.
From today for on , not only are the major cities in threat.

Does it matter how? Yes.

Understanding technique and process leads to insignts on how to counter it, if indeed it can be countered at all.

These were probably a bit larger than jam tin grenades - I'd look more to your classic pipe bombs, or even home-made 'claymore' style bombs.