BAGS AND BLASTS: Yet more prosecution evidence comes under scrutiny
In previous articles (here, here and here) we were able to conclusively prove there were several items within the vicinity of the explosion that may have been capable of concealing a bomb. None of these visible items were Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's backpack.
After running this photograph through infrared software, we were also able to demonstrate that a previously unrecognizable item - a black holdall - was on the ground in close proximity to the detonation site. This item was present for a considerable period of time before Dzhokhar Tsarnaev arrived and did not appear to belong to any of the individuals pictured below.
After running this photograph through infrared software, we were also able to demonstrate that a previously unrecognizable item - a black holdall - was on the ground in close proximity to the detonation site. This item was present for a considerable period of time before Dzhokhar Tsarnaev arrived and did not appear to belong to any of the individuals pictured below.
Building on previous blast pattern analysis, injury distribution of the victims, eyewitness accounts and initial statements by authorities, it is entirely possible that this black bag contained the device that exploded and injured the many people gathered outside the Forum Restaurant that day.
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Initial Statements by Authorities
During the initial stages of the investigation, authorities claimed the device that exploded was contained within a black holdall or black duffel bag.
The day after the bombings, FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers said during a televised press conference that investigators have recovered pieces of the bomb. DesLauriers stated:
During the initial stages of the investigation, authorities claimed the device that exploded was contained within a black holdall or black duffel bag.
The day after the bombings, FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers said during a televised press conference that investigators have recovered pieces of the bomb. DesLauriers stated:
"pieces of black nylon, and BBs and nails which may have been inside a pressure-cooker style bomb, have been sent to Quantico, Va. for analysis."
DesLauriers further confirmed that the bomb was placed inside:
"a black nylon bag but at this point, they have not determined what exactly, what was in it."
Several media reports citing police sources also carried the news that investigators had narrowed in on a potential suspect and that the bomb was indeed contained within a black nylon holdall/duffle bag.
..."Citing an official familiar with the investigation, NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reports that both bombs were of the pressure-cooker design. Both of them were in black duffel bags"
A day later, on the 17th April:
"Remnants of a black holdall, nails, ball bearings, a battery detonator and fragments of pressure cookers were being examined for clues yesterday.
Both explosives were concealed in a black holdall"
On the same day, Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy, who had personally been briefed by Boston police, elaborated further and stated that investigators had seen an image on surveillance footage retrieved from a department store across the street from the Forum Restaurant, that had matched findings with witness descriptions of someone leaving the scene.
He noted that the bombs were crudely fashioned from ordinary kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and ball bearings, confirming investigators close to the case had informed him of such. He also stated:
He noted that the bombs were crudely fashioned from ordinary kitchen pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails and ball bearings, confirming investigators close to the case had informed him of such. He also stated:
"One department store video has confirmed that a suspect is seen dropping a bag near the point of the second explosion and heading off.
Investigators suspect the devices were then hidden in black duffel bags and left on the ground. As a result, they were looking for images of someone lugging a dark, heavy bag"
Investigators suspect the devices were then hidden in black duffel bags and left on the ground. As a result, they were looking for images of someone lugging a dark, heavy bag"
It has to be said that authorities quickly changed their story. Within 24 hours all statements referring to black holdalls or duffel bags were quickly redacted and instead replaced with the news that the bombs were contained within black backpacks or 'knapsacks'. Was this because they had simply been mistaken during the early stages of the investigation or was there more to it than that?
If the individual they were referring to who had been caught on camera 'dropping a bag near the point of the explosion and walking off' was indeed Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, it is difficult to see how they could have ever confused a black sports type holdall (pictured above) with the light-coloured backpack he was carrying that day.
How Explosions Work
Explosions are an example of the Law of Conservation of Energy, which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be converted from one form into another. The two main classes of explosions are chemical and physical. When a bomb explodes, for instance, the chemical energy stored in the molecules of the explosive making up the device, is converted into kinetic (movement) energy, heat, light, and sound.
The impact of a low explosive, such as the black powder contained within a pressure cooker bomb, is far less than military grade explosives (such as C4) although it can still produce an enormous amount of damage. When the powder within the bomb is ignited, it very rapidly converts into a gas, which begins to expand. When the pressure becomes too great, the device explodes, pushing all the energy that was contained within it (and shrapnel if it has been added) outwards.
The explosion will always seek to take the path of least resistance and penetrate through the weakest part of the device first. In a pressure cooker bomb this will always be the top - or the lid - the second weakest part is the base.
Jimmie Oxley, URI Chemistry Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Excellence in Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response at Rhode Island University, provided this interesting graphic on 17th April 2013 offering her expertise to explain to the lay person how a pressure cooker bomb worked, and how/where one would place it in order to inflict maximum damage. She also explained the mechanics of a pressure cooker bomb explosion, noting the dynamics of the blast if the bomb were placed upright and on the ground.
Once again, the article made reference to authorities' belief that the bomb was contained in a black holdall/black duffel bag.
What would happen if the bomb was NOT placed upright whilst on the ground?
Blast Pattern Analysis
These pictures of the second explosion at the point of detonation contain some interesting details not widely discussed. Two distinct and separate ejecta clouds are visible (as opposed to the first blast), which gave the initial impression that two separate devices may have exploded within very close proximity to one another. Speculation as to how this occurred, has been rife, but there is one perfectly reasonable and rational explanation that very few have considered.
The bomb was placed on its side
When observing other footage taken at the point of detonation (such as video), a huge spray of small shrapnel is seen flying into the street, yet very little impacted any of the victims themselves (as opposed to the injuries incurred by those at the site of the first blast), or any of the furniture that surrounded the Forum Restaurant patio. Had the bomb been placed upright it would have exploded upwards and outwards sending a spray of shrapnel in a circular pattern around it. It would also have resulted in just one ejecta cloud and not two as the footage clearly demonstrates.
Although one must consider other variables, such as the homemade nature of the device/objects surrounding it, etc., the fact that very few victims suffered small shrapnel wounds as opposed to others at site one, coupled with the nature of the explosion itself, strongly suggests the device was placed on its side.
When the device exploded, the lid ruptured first followed by the base (although this would only be a fraction of a second in 'real time'), projecting the majority of the small shrapnel contained within the bomb into the street, whilst larger pieces and heat from the blast were sent flying backwards into the crowd, leading to many of the critical and in some cases deadly injuries that occurred that day.
This explanation also offers an answer to one of the more puzzling aspects of the explosion.
The victims incurred injuries that bore no relation to the spot Tsarnaev is alleged to have deposited his bomb.
Had Tsarnaev placed his bomb where authorities stated, anyone in front of it would have taken the full force of the small shrapnel that exploded into the street: yet very few did. Tellingly, had the bomb been placed on the ground in an upright position the potential for small shrapnel injuries would have been far greater.So what else was in the vicinity large enough to conceal a device that lay on its side, and in the correct position to explain the victims injuries (or lack of in this instance) ?
A black holdall
(For further analysis on the other information contained within the above graphic, please visit here)
Witnesses and Victims
A number of victims and witnesses who were standing to the right of the mailbox and further back into the crowd (from our perspective) have all credited the mail box with either saving their lives or preventing them from receiving serious injury. Why?
A number of victims and witnesses who were standing to the right of the mailbox and further back into the crowd (from our perspective) have all credited the mail box with either saving their lives or preventing them from receiving serious injury. Why?
Had the bomb exploded in the spot that authorities allege Tsarnaev placed his backpack, it would only have offered limited protection to very few.
Roseann Sdoia, a truly inspirational woman who lost her right leg in the explosion, is one of the only victims who has spoken publicly with specific reference to the bomb and the bag it was contained in. Immediately after the first explosion had occurred, she explains how:
"There was a guy to the right of me who started yelling, 'Everybody, get in the streets, get in the streets'. But the barricade they had between the street and the runners was too high, and I was not going to be able to get over it.
I turned to my right to run and as I did that I pretty much ran right into the bag where the bomb was located.
I saw it puff up and I just recall the noise pop-pop at my feet and then it going black and thinking to myself, ‘This is not a good situation. This is bad."
I turned to my right to run and as I did that I pretty much ran right into the bag where the bomb was located.
I saw it puff up and I just recall the noise pop-pop at my feet and then it going black and thinking to myself, ‘This is not a good situation. This is bad."
Sdoia's account is intriguing for a number of reasons. Her positioning at the time the device exploded means she was standing very close to the black holdall that was present - which was directly to her right, just as she describes in her account.
She also notes something that can only have occurred in a fraction of a second, yet describes it as if it occurred in several: the actual explosion of the bomb. She recalls seeing the bag 'puff up' and hearing a noise 'pop pop' before everything 'went black.' What she is describing appears consistent with a pressure cooker device exploding on its side. Hearing two distinct sounds, as opposed to one, indicates the device ruptured in two separate places almost simultaneously, which it would not have done so had it been placed on the ground in an upright position.
Yet, many have doubted Sdoia's account of what she claimed to have experienced that day, making particular reference to the fact that she would not have had time to hear the bomb before it struck her due to the velocity of the explosion occurring faster than the speed of sound. Whilst this may be true in some incidences, it is not the case in all. A device that is placed on its side is essentially unstable and the fuel contained within it will deflagrate at a different rate to that originally intended. Also, if the explosion itself ruptures two areas of the device almost simultaneously, this greatly reduces the velocity and power of the blast wave itself.
What about memory?
Others have commented that Sdoia may have simply remembered it wrongly, or at worst fabricated this part of her experience. Yet one only has to consult the multitude of scientific studies that have been conducted in recent years to understand how memory works during a traumatic and unexpected event. Many individuals report that 'time slows down' or that they remember 'every single minute detail' of the experience as if it had taken a much longer period of time, but was in reality just a fraction of a second.
Dr. David Eagleman, a neuroscientist at Baylor College of Medicine, conducted a study into what happens with memory and time perception during a traumatic and sudden event. He noted the following:
"During a frightening event, a brain area called the amygdala becomes more active. It lays down a secondary set of memories that go along with those normally taken care of by other parts of the brain.
In this way, frightening events are associated with richer and denser memories.
And the more memory you have of an event, the longer you believe it took."
In this way, frightening events are associated with richer and denser memories.
And the more memory you have of an event, the longer you believe it took."
There is absolutely no reason to discount Sdoia's recollection of what happened that day. The information she provided, was not untruthful or 'mistaken' in anyway. Her account is very credible and should respectfully be treated as such.
She described turning to her right and running straight into a bag, which made a 'pop pop' sound at the point it exploded.
She described turning to her right and running straight into a bag, which made a 'pop pop' sound at the point it exploded.
This is entirely consistent with a device that exploded whilst it was laid on its side.
It is also consistent with that very device being contained within the black holdall that was present at the scene
Questions, Questions....
The presence of the black holdall at the scene of the marathon bombings raises more questions than it apparently answers. It was present at the site for almost an hour prior to the explosion and no other black holdalls were ever present alongside it. This would indicate authorities initially believed that this was indeed the bag that contained the device that exploded that day.
It is tempting to dismiss authorities' initial claims about the bag as error or mere speculation during the early stages of the investigation, but it is not quite that simple. Whilst they were vague about what sort of device the bag may have contained, they were certainly not vague about the bag itself. All initial statements made reference to a black bag specifically. No other bag was ever mentioned.
Moreover, the statements referring to a black holdall or duffel bag are even more pressing when one considers the context some of them were actually delivered in.
"One department store video has confirmed that a suspect is seen dropping a bag near the point of the second explosion and heading off. Investigators suspect the devices were hidden in black duffel bags and left on the ground. As a result, they were looking for images of someone lugging a dark, heavy bag"
Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy 04/17/2013
This means authorities had already viewed CCTV of the individual who was responsible for the marathon bombings and that very person was seen depositing a black holdall at the scene prior to walking away
Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy 04/17/2013
This means authorities had already viewed CCTV of the individual who was responsible for the marathon bombings and that very person was seen depositing a black holdall at the scene prior to walking away
- There was a black holdall on the ground and in the vicinity of where the second marathon explosion occurred.
- It had been on the ground for up to an hour with its owner apparently missing at the point of detonation.
- It was large enough to contain a pressure cooker bomb on its side, and it was the only one visible at the site that day.
- It was in the correct position to explain the shrapnel projected into the street and the distribution of injuries between the victims, as opposed to Tsarnaev's rucksack, which was not.
- Authorities initially stated that a black holdall was the likely source of the explosion and crucially, they also made reference to it after they had viewed CCTV of an individual depositing a bag at the scene and leaving.
Who did the black holdall belong to and is there any other evidence to suggest that this individual was complicit in the marathon bombings?
Yes, it seems there is.
It would be extremely irresponsible to infer that a certain individual was guilty of a crime unless there appeared to be a considerable amount of proof to substantiate that claim: something that authorities would have done well to remember with regard to certain aspects of the investigation into the marathon bombings.
As such, we are unable to reveal the results of several recent and connected discoveries, which together all suggest the same individual was responsible for the marathon bombing outside the Forum Restaurant - other than to state that his name was not Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Please be assured that as soon as the evidence
accumulates to the stage where we feel confident enough to publish: that is precisely what we intend to do.
accumulates to the stage where we feel confident enough to publish: that is precisely what we intend to do.
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References:
Wallace W (1995) 'The Revised Black Book - A Guide To Field-Manufactured Explosives' Palladin
Eagleman D and Holcombe A (2002) 'Causality and the Perception of Time' Trends: Cognitive Science 6: p 323-325
Eagleman D (2005) 'How does the Timing of Neural Signals Map onto the Timing of Perception? cited in Nijhawan R, ed 'Problems of Space anf Time Perception in Action' Cambridge University Press: UK
Meyer, Rudolf; Köhler, and Homburg (2007) ' Explosives, 6th Ed' Wiley VCH
DesLauriers R (04/16/2013) 'FBI Press Conference': ABC News 17.10pm ET
Temple-Raston D (04/16/2013) 'Boston Marathon Explosions: Tuesday's Developments ' WFSU News Service: Tallahassee, Florida
Seelye K, Schmit E and Scott S (04/16/2013) 'Boston bombs were loaded to maim' New York Times
Murphy S ( 04/17/2013) cited in 'Boston Marathon 'bombing suspect caught on video placing bag at scene of explosion': The Express Newspaper. London
Oxley J (04/17/2013) cited in Barr A 'Graphic: The Boston bombs — crude, and lethal' National Post
Folkert D cited in Wilson S (04/24/2013) 'Boston Marathon spectator says mailbox saved his life' CNN News
Coggins J (04/29/2013) 'The courage of woman who lost her leg in Boston bombing who didn't like brother-in-law's sarcastic remark' Mail on Sunday: UK
Quinlan T (06/12/2013) 'Boston Marathon Bombing Leads to Unlikely Reunion, Bond Between College Classmates' UMass Lowell
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We actively encourage comments and discussion on this site! Please remember to keep it relevant and be respectful at all times.