3 dead, 176 injured as hunt begins for Boston bombers

WASHINGTON: The US launched a worldwide investigation into the Boston marathon bombings — the first terrorist attack on the American mainland since 9/11 — as the toll rose to three on Tuesday.

Two bombs, said to be pressure cookers packed with explosives and ball bearings, exploded near the finish line at around 2.50pm Monday (12.20am India time). Authorities said the devices were similar to those used against American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

An eight-year- old boy was among the three dead. Authorities put the number of wounded at 176, many of them with critical injuries.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating it as an act of terrorism,” President Barack Obama said, adding that it wasn’t known if it was committed by an individual, a “malevolent” individual or an organization, foreign or domestic.

“This will be a worldwide investigation,” lead FBI investigator Richard DesLauriers said at a briefing. “We will go to the ends of the earth to... bring them to justice.”

Authorities searched the home of a Saudi national who was being treated in a Boston hospital for injuries suffered at the blast site. He has also been interviewed. But police commissioner Ed Davis said he wasn’t a suspect. There are no suspects or motives at present, the authorities insisted.

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