Authorities have identified a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings and forcefully denied a flurry of news reports that an arrest had been made in the attack Wednesday afternoon.
The Associated Press and the Boston Globe reported a suspect had been arrested and was en route to the Moakley Federal Courthouse in South Boston. CNN also reported that a suspect was in custody, before backtracking from its earlier report and saying no suspect had been nabbed. The Boston Police Department and the US Attorney's office in Boston denied those reports on Wednesday afternoon, saying no arrest had been made.
The FBI issued a sternly worded rebuke to the press for reporting that a suspect was in custody.
"Contrary to widespread reporting, no arrest has been made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack," Special Agent Greg Comcowich said in the 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." He added that the reports cause "unintended consequences," and that the media should verify their information through "official channels."
The Associated Press said its original unnamed source stands by the information.
This image from a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security joint bulletin issued to law enforcement and obtained by The Associated Press, shows the remains of a pressure ... more? This image from a Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security joint bulletin issued to law enforcement and obtained by The Associated Press, shows the remains of a pressure cooker that the FBI says was part of one of the bombs that exploded during the Boston Marathon. The FBI says it has evidence that indicates one of the bombs was contained in a pressure cooker with nails and ball bearings, and it was hidden in a backpack. (AP Photo/FBI) less? Meanwhile, the Moakley Federal Courthouse was evacuated around 3 p.m. Wednesday after a bomb threat. Hundreds of reporters and court employees--some of whom had gathered out front to see if a suspect would be brought there--calmly evacuated the building and walked across the street. More than a dozen news vans with satellite uplinks lined the street adjacent to the courthouse while news helicopters hovered above.About 90 minutes after the building was evacuated, a maintenance worker emerged from the courthouse waving a green flag signaling "all clear," and people were allowed back into the building.
A small plaza at the Brigham & Women's Hospital was also evacuated due to an abandoned vehicle in the area, a spokeswoman confirmed, but they've been given the all clear and were let back in the building.
Authorities combed through video footage to find an image of "a suspect carrying, and perhaps dropping, a black bag at the second bombing scene," The Boston Globe reported. CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reported that the video showed a man in a black jacket talking on his cell phone "placing a black bag at the second bomb site outside of the Forum restaurant on Boylston Street and then leaving the area before that explosion." Police used the time stamp on the video to scan all the calls made in the area to try to track him down, Orr reported.
The FBI was scheduled to hold a press conference Wednesday at 5 p.m., but announced it would be postponed until later Wednesday night due to the courthouse bomb threat. The breakthrough in the investigation came from analyzing department store surveillance video and video from a news station.
An FBI spokesman in Boston and a spokeswoman for Boston Mayor Tom Menino declined to comment on the reports to Yahoo News.
The twin bombs, which were detonated close to the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday afternoon, sent 176 people to the hospital and killed three. Eight-year-old Martin Richard, 29-year-old Krystle Campbell and 23-year-old Lingzi Lu were the three people killed. Several of the injured needed amputations.
Police have said the bombs were fashioned from debris-filled pressure cookers and stuffed in black bags. They were located about 100 yards apart.
A Boston-area federal agent told Yahoo News that he suspects there will be more than one arrest in the case eventually.
?To carry one heavy bag in is one thing, but a single suspect having two bags would have stood out,? the law enforcement source told Yahoo News.
--Holly Bailey, Dylan Stableford and Jason Sickles contributed to this report from Boston.
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