FBI Releases Surveillance Images Of 2 Suspects In Boston Marathon Bombings
BOSTON (CBSNewYork) -- The FBI released video and pictures Thursday and is asking the public to help identify the two men seen in those images as it tries to piece together who is responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings.
The feds stressed that no one other than members of law enforcement should attempt to apprehend the suspects.
PHOTOS: See More Images Of The Suspects
"We consider them to be armed and extremely dangerous. No one should approach them. No one should attempt to apprehend them except law enforcement," FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers said at a news conference early Thursday evening. "Do not take any action on your own. If you see them, contact law enforcement."
Following DesLauriers' plea to the public, the public went to work. Just after 7:30 p.m., the FBI reported record traffic on its websites as people logged on to view stills and video of the suspected bombers. The FBI said it was also getting an extremely high number of phone calls and emails.
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DesLauriers said the two suspects "appear to be associated." Officials have identified them as "suspect one" and "suspect two."
"Suspect two set down a backpack at the site of the second explosion just in front of the Forum restaurant," DesLauriers said.
DesLauriers also made an appeal for anyone who was at that restaurant around the time of the blasts to contact law enforcement.
There is video of the second suspect setting the backpack on the ground, but the FBI hasn't released it, CBS 2's Jessica Schneider reported.
Suspect number one is in a dark baseball hat while suspect number two is seen in a white hat turned backwards. Both suspects' hats are believed to have the Bridgestone brand logo.
Authorities did not release the height, age or ethnicity of the suspects, Schneider reported.
DesLauriers said in one of the images, the suspects appear to be walking together on Boylston Street in the direction of the finish line. He also stressed that the images released by authorities should be the only used to identify the suspects.
"For clarity, these images should be the only ones...that the public should view to assist us. Other photos should not be deemed credible," DesLauriers said. "They divert the public's attention in the wrong direction and create undue work for vital law enforcement resources."
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DesLauriers reiterated previous statements by saying "somebody out there knows these individuals as friends, neighbors, co-workers or family members."
"The nation is counting on those with information to come forward and provide it to us," he said.
Meanwhile, President Barack Obama paid a visit to Boston under heavy security to offer words of reassurance to the city and a warning to those responsible for the attack.
"We will find you," he said.
However, Thursday marked three days since the attack, with no arrests.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick said he shared the frustration that the person or people responsible were still at large, but he said solving the case will not "happen by magic.''
"It's going to happen by doing the careful work that must be done in a thorough investigation,'' Patrick said. "That means going through the couple of blocks at the blast scene square inch by square inch and picking up pieces of evidence and following those trails, and that's going to take some time.''
At an interfaith service honoring the victims, the president sought to inspire a stricken city and comfort an unnerved nation, declaring that Boston "will run again.''
The crowd applauded as Obama warned those who carried out the attack: "Yes, we will find you. And, yes, you will face justice.''
The bombs were crudely fashioned from ordinary kitchen pressure cookers, packed with explosives, nails and ball bearings, investigators and others close to the case said. Investigators suspect the devices were then hidden in bags and left on the ground.
City Council President Stephen Murphy, who said he was briefed by Boston police, said investigators saw the image of the man dropping off a bag and matched the findings with witness descriptions of someone leaving the scene.
One department store video "has confirmed that a suspect is seen dropping a bag near the point of the second explosion and heading off,'' Murphy said.
On Wednesday, investigators in white jumpsuits fanned out across the streets, rooftops and awnings around the blast site in search of clues. They picked through trash cans, plastic cup sleeves and discarded sports drink dispensers.
