Suspicious Bags Found At Boston Marathon Finish Line After Solemn Tributes
BOSTON (CBSNewYork/AP) — Police in Boston detonated two unattended backpacks at the marathon finish line and arrested a man Tuesday night, on the one-year anniversary of the bombings that left three people dead and 260 injured during the marathon.
The Facebook page for the man arrested indicates that he previously lived in New York.
As CBS 2's Don Champion reported, the area near the marathon finish line was evacuated Tuesday evening after the two unattended backpacks were found.
WBZ-TV, Boston reported at least one of the bags was being carried by a barefoot man who was wearing a long black veil and screaming "Boston Strong." That man has been identified as Kayvon Edson, 25, and he has been charged with disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and possession of a hoax device.
Edson's Facebook page said he has a New York connection. The social media account says he studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan, and also lived in Brooklyn for several years.
A source told WBZ-TV that when Edson was stopped by police, he told them he had a rice cooker in his bag, prompting the Bomb Squad was called to the scene. The bombs that detonated at the marathon a year ago were made using pressure cookers.
A source told CBS News that the rice cooker in the bag was full of confetti.
The other bag contained camera equipment. It was not immediately learned whether police believe Edson or someone else left that bag.
In a video posted online last year, Edson appears wearing a similar black outfit. His Facebook page also prominently features bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev – and even uses the Tsarnaev's image for Edson's profile page cover photo.
Earlier, as CBS 2's Jessica Schneider reported, about 2,500 people attended an invitation-only tribute at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center in Boston, and then walked in the rain to the marathon finish line on Boylston Street for the moment of silence at 2:49 p.m.
The National Anthem was sung, bells were rung, and a flag was raised by Officer Richard Donohue, who was severely injured during a shootout with the bombing suspects.
The Boylston Street finish line will once again welcome marathoners at this year's race, which is set for next week.
"Even though the memory still brings tears to our eyes and our heart aches for those who were lost, it's still a comfort to be here with family and friends who got us through that tragic day," said former Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.
Menino – who ceded the office to current Mayor Marty Walsh in January after choosing not to seek a sixth term – led Boston in the hours after the blasts. Menino was also at the helm in the days afterward, which culminated in a citywide shutdown and a manhunt for bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
On Tuesday, Menino stood by the survivors and the families those killed and injured at the marathon -- and MIT police Officer Sean Collier, who was killed later in the shootout with the suspects.
Vice President Joe Biden was also among those who spoke at the convention center.
"It's the one thing I think you vastly underestimate about what you're doing for so many people in dealing with your own grief with such courage," Biden said. "You inspire them and we owe you."
Killed in the blasts were Krystle Campbell, 29; Lu Lingzi, 23; and Martin Richard, 8. At the time of the attack, Campbell's grandmother, Lillian Campbell, could not bear her grief.
But with the spirit of Krystle close to her heart, Lillian Campbell found the strength to move forward.
"Krystle wouldn't want me to shed no tears or nothing," Lillian Campbell said. "She was that type. 'Don't do it, Nana,' she'd say. 'Come on, get up, we got to get going.'"
And showing bravery far beyond their years Tuesday were Jane and Henry Richard - the brother and sister of young Martin Richard.
They laid a wreath at the site where Martin was killed -- just feet from the finish line -- where he cheered on the runners.
The three victims were killed doing what hundreds of thousands do every third Monday in April -- celebrating the spirit of Boston and its 118-year-old marathon.
A year later, the city and country were paying tribute to the heroism of that day, and the pain.
"We've got to do what we've got to do to keep it moving," said marathon volunteer Janice Mullaney. "That's what's important is that people are still running, and the marathon is still happening, and people will be there to support it."
Meanwhile in Washington Tuesday, President Barack Obama observed the anniversary with a private moment of silence at the White House.
"Today, we recognize the incredible courage and leadership of so many Bostonians in the wake of unspeakable tragedy," Obama said in a statement. "And we offer our deepest gratitude to the courageous firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, runners and spectators who, in an instant, displayed the spirit Boston was built on — perseverance, freedom and love."
Obama said this year's race, scheduled for Monday, will "show the world the meaning of Boston Strong as a city chooses to run again."
New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo also issued a statement Tuesday, saying the Empire State "stands with our neighbors in Boston."
"Boston reminds us that with resilience and unity, we can overcome anything and today, we remember there is no evil that can triumph in a community that is Boston Strong," Cuomo said.
Earlier Tuesday, a solemn wreath-laying ceremony was held at the site of the twin explosions. It was attended by the families of the bombing victims — Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell and Lu Lingzi — as well as relatives of Massachusetts Institute of Technology police Officer Sean Collier, who was killed in the aftermath of the blasts.
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"It will be a day of remembrance," Carlos Arredondo, who was photographed helping a severely injured Bauman in the wake of the bombings, told USA Today. "To show that we move on with our lives. We grieve and heal."
Authorities say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 20, and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev planned and orchestrated the attack and later shot and killed Collier during an attempt to steal his gun.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died following the shootout with police days after the bombings. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges and is awaiting trial. He faces the possibility of the death penalty.
Prosecutors have said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev left a hand-scrawled confession condemning U.S. actions in Muslim countries on the inside wall of a boat he was found hiding in following the police shootout.
Authorities have said the Tsarnaev brothers also allegedly planned to drive to New York and launch an attack in Times Square after the bombings in Boston, but the potentially deadly scheme fell apart because the vehicle they carjacked was low on gas.
In the year since the attack, New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Boston has been "doing an extraordinary job" working with other police departments to learn new ways of strengthening their own security.
"We have some resources up there, we've been interacting with them over the last year, they've come down here to look at what we've been doing, we've been up there," he said Tuesday on "CBS This Morning."
Bratton said one of the biggest lessons learned is the importance of sharing intelligence.
"I think that is one of the aspects that came out of the bombing last year, that some of the sharing that should have done was not done," he said. "Out of every negative you try to get a positive and I think one of the positives coming out of Boston was that we understand clearly the need to share, share and share again."
The Tsarnaevs, ethnic Chechens who lived in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan and the Dagestan region of Russia, settled in Cambridge, outside Boston, more than a decade ago after moving to the U.S. as children with their family.
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