Bomb suspect in Boston store’s video

BOSTON - Investigators have video of a possible suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings though no one is under arrest in the case, federal law enforcement officials said.

The crucial images were captured by a store security camera near the bombing sites, said one federal law enforcement official who was briefed on the matter. Another person familiar with the work of investigators said that, as of Wednesday afternoon, the suspect seen in the images hadn’t been identified. Both asked for anonymity to discuss the investigation.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Boston police released statements saying that no arrest has been made.

City Council President Stephen Murphy, who said he was briefed by members of the Boston Police Department, said officers were chasing leads that could take them to the suspect.

“They may be on the verge of arresting someone and that’s good,” he said.

“One of the department stores down on Boylston Street submitted video … which has confirmed that a suspect is seen dropping a bag near the point of the second explosion and heading off,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he was told that investigators have matched information from the surveillance footage with witness descriptions of someone leaving the scene.

Meanwhile, a bomb scare Wednesday at the federal courthouse in Boston forced the postponement of a scheduled 5 p.m. news briefing on the investigation into Mon-day’s bombings, according to an FBI statement. Federal and state authorities were responding to the threat at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse, causing the delay, the agency said.

The courthouse was evacuated in the afternoon, and bomb-sniffing dogs were sent inside, but workers were allowed to reenter a short time later.

There were conflicting reports among federal and state officials on the status of the case.

A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told the Associated Press around midday that a suspect was in custody. The official, who was not authorized to divulge details of the investigation, said the suspect was expected in federal court.

But the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston said no arrests had been made.

“Contrary to widespread reporting, there have been no arrests made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack,” the FBI said in a statement. “Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate. Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting.”

By nightfall, there was no evidence that anyone was in custody. No one was taken to court. The law enforcement official, who had affirmed there was a suspect in custody even after federal officials denied it, was unable to obtain any further information or explanation.

Authorities combing the site of the bombing have recovered key bomb parts that may provide clues in the case, including a piece of circuit board and the lid of a pressure cooker blown onto a rooftop.

Investigators believe both bombs may have been made using pressure cookers packed with explosives and nails, pellets and other shrapnel to maim victims.

The FBI and Homeland Security Department on Tuesday circulated a bulletin to other law enforcement agencies showing a picture of a fragment of a pressure cooker that investigators believe was part of one of the bombs used in the attack.

The damaged metal pressure cooker, mangled and dented by the blast, was accompanied by a separate picture of a damaged black backpack that investigators believe may have held one of the explosive devices placed near the race’s finish line.

The investigators’ recovery of the pressure cooker’s lid and other components is helpful because they can be tested for residue of the explosive used, said David Chipman, who worked for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for 25 years. Chipman investigated the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995 and the first World Trade Center bombing in New York in 1993. He left the ATF last year.

Once investigators determine the type of explosive, they can try to trace it back to where it was purchased and determine whether a similar mixture has been used in other crimes. That can help point to a suspect, he said.

The lid also may help determine where it was purchased, which could help lead to a suspect, Chipman said.

The twin bomb blasts Monday near the finish line of the world’s most famous footrace killed three people and wounded more than 170, tearing off limbs in a hail of shrapnel.

Scores of victims remained hospitalized, many with grievous injuries. Fourteen were listed in critical condition Wednesday.

Some victims had 40 or more fragments of pellet- and nail-like shrapnel embedded in their bodies, said George Velmahos, chief of trauma surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The chief of trauma surgery at Boston Medical Center said most of the injuries his hospital treated were to the legs.

“We have a lot of lower-extremity injuries, so I think the damage was low to the ground and wasn’t up,” Dr. Peter Burke said. “The patients who do have head injuries were blown into things or were hit by fragments that went up.”

More surgeries were scheduled Wednesday for victims, including eight at Boston Medical Center, officials said.

A 5-year-old boy was among those in critical condition, Burke said. He was one of 19 patients who remained there, he said, and one of two who were in critical condition - down from 10 who were in critical condition Tuesday.

Three children who were injured in the blast remained at Boston Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, the hospital announced: a 2-year-old boy with a head injury was listed in good condition, while a 10-year-old boy and a 9-yearold girl, both with leg injuries, were in critical condition.

The blasts killed 8-year-old Martin Richard of Boston and 29-year-old Krystle Campbell of Medford. The Shenyang Evening News, a state-run Chinese newspaper, identified the third victim as Lu Lingzi, a graduate student at Boston University.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to travel today to Boston to take part in an interfaith service for the victims at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Other state, local and federal officials are expected to attend along with members of the clergy.

Obama is getting regular briefings on the investigation and is satisfied with the progress, White House press secretary Jay Carney said at a briefing Wednesday afternoon.

“The full weight of the federal government is behind this investigation,” Carney said. “But this investigation is now not even 48 hours old.”

Meanwhile, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced Wednesday that Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer who ran the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, will play the same role for those affected by the Boston bombings.

More than $7 million has been committed to The One Fund Boston by individuals and companies, including $500,000 from more than 8,500 people contributing through OneFundBoston.org, the two Democrats said in a statement.

Feinberg, a native of Brockton, a Massachusetts city south of Boston, will provide the service without charge, according to the statement.

Information for this article was contributed by Phil Mattingly, Mike Dorning, Christopher Condon, Rachel Layne,Annie Linskey, Prashant Gopal, Janelle Lawrence, Tom Moroney, Chris Dolmetsch, Terry Atlas, Justin Blum, Hans Nichols, Julianna Goldman, Roger Runningen and David Mc-Laughlin of Bloomberg News; by Denise Lavoie, Jay Lindsay, Pat Eaton-Robb, Steve LeBlanc, Bridget Murphy, Rodrique Ngowi, Meghan Barr, Eileen Sullivan, Julie Pace, Lara Jakes, Paisley Dodds, Lee Keath, Marilynn Marchione and Randy Herschaft of The Associated Press; and by Katharine Q. Seelye and Michael Cooper of The New York Times.