Thread: CBS: “an individual in custody,” a Saudi national who was near the scene of the blas

2 Dead, At Least 98 Hurt In Explosions At Boston Marathon Finish Line

April 15, 2013 6:38 PM

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A pair of explosions rock the Boston Marathon finish line on April 15, 2013. (credit: WBZ-TV)


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Boston Mararthon, CBS Boston, Finish Line Explosion, Lisa Hughes, Marathon Sports, WBZ

BOSTON (CBS) – Two people are dead and several dozen injured after two bombs went off near the Boston Marathon finish line Monday afternoon.
It happened around 2:50 p.m. outside Marathon Sports on Boylston Street as thousands of runners were finishing the race.
CBS News senior correspondent John Miller said there is “an individual in custody,” a Saudi national who was near the scene of the blast.
Miller said a civilian claims the person was acting suspiciously and chased him down and tackled him after the explosions.
The man is said to be cooperating with investigators and denies any involvement.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/04/1...n-finish-line/

U.S. Grants Saudis 'Trusted Traveler' Privileges to Help Them Through Airport Security

March 27, 2013

The Obama Administration is making it easier for Saudis to get through security at airports. In fact, now they will be allowed to bypass custom authorities due to an agreement quietly signed between U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Saudi Arabian Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Saudi Arabiaacknowledged 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.

On January 16, 2013, Janet Napolitano met with Mohammed bin Nayef and announced the plan. Napolitano stated, "I am proud of the bond between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and today's meeting marks another major step forward in our partnership. By enhancing collaboration with the Government of Saudi Arabia, we reaffirm our commitment to more effectively secure our two countries against evolving threats while facilitating legitimate trade and travel."

During the meeting, the two signed an agreement to begin implementation of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) trusted traveler program, Global Entry. Global Entry streamlines the screening process at airports, allowing customs to bypass "trusted travelers" and focus on those they know less about. Those in the program can skip normal Customs and Border protection lines starting next year. Participants may enter the United States by using automated kiosks located at select airports, according to the Global Entry website. They must present passports and fingerprints at kiosks, and make a customs declaration.

"Details about how the plan will work with the Saudis have not been released. Nayef's ministry, however, will be responsible for screening which applicants will be considered when the pilot program begins next year. It's not known whether the Saudi ministry will share its raw intelligence about applicants with its American counterparts," writes The Investigative Project on Terrorism. "What is known, based on information provided by a Homeland Security source, is that each individual who makes it into the program will have been vetted by both the CBP and by the Saudi Interior Ministry against various databases."

Judicial Watch adds, "It's downright outrageous that the Obama administration is now making it easier for Saudis to enter the United States. Consider that just three years ago the U.S. government actually placed Saudi Arabia on a list of 14 countries whose travelers would face enhanced security when entering the country. Why? Because a Saudi national named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to blow up a Detroit-bound U.S. commercial airliner on Christmas Day in 2009."

Only a select few are currently a part of the Global Entry program including Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and the Netherlands.

http://m.cnsnews.com/blog/joe-schoff...rport-security

Flashback: Obama Removes Post 9/11 Restrictions on Saudi Visitors

Shortly after the Center for Immigration Studies put out a report warning that the Student and Exchange Visitor Program was widely unregulated and abused, the Obama Administration has decided to dispose of the last restrictions instituted after 9/11 to prevent a repeat of the revolving door Saudi visa system.

The United States, a decade after Al Qaida strikes in New York and Washington, has opened its doors to Saudi nationals.

Diplomats said the administration of President Barack Obama has removed most restrictions on the entry of Saudis to the United States. They said the percentage of visa approvals for Saudis has reached unprecedented levels.

“The United States aims to raise the number of visas that it issues annually, particularly to Saudi nationals, who represent an important group,” Joseph Hood, U.S. consul-general in the Saudi city of Dhahran, said.

He said Saudi businessmen and students have been allowed to enter the United States in record numbers, with a 60 percent increase since 2010.

Hood said. “In addition, Saudi Arabia also sends a large number of students to the United States, and the number of Saudi students in the United States rivals those from India.”

The CIS report meanwhile notes that of the “Top Five M-1 Approved Schools” , three are flight schools.

http://ninetymilesfromtyranny.blogsp...-post-911.html

‘PLEASE DON’T BE A MUSLIM’: CAIR, OTHERS RESPOND TO BOSTON BOMBINGS ON TWITTER

Apr. 15, 2013 7:11pm Tiffany Gabbay

Editor’s note — We’ll be discussing the Boston Marathon terror attack during a BlazeCast special at 8pm ET…including your questions, comments & live chat:

After two explosions claimed multiple lives and injured more than 100 people at the Boston Marathon Monday, Muslims around the world took to Twitter — some to express their sympathies, others to express their hope that the perpetrator of the attack not be a Muslim.

Video at the Page Link:

Libyan Twitter user Hend Amry appears to have been the one to start the thread with her tweet: “Please don’t be a Muslim.”

Her post was retweeted by more than 100 Twitters users including the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Jenan Moussa, a journalist for Dubai-based Al-Aan TV also retweeted Amry’s message, adding that she was simply stating “the thought of every Muslim right now.”

Some of the tweets may also be fueled by reports earlier in the day alleging a Saudi Arabian national may be a suspect in the attack and is currently being guarded by police. Those reports have not been confirmed, but several national and local outlets are reporting that to be the case.




That message was then forwarded more than 200 times according to the Washington Post.
Nervana Mahmoud, another Twitter user, posted the following message in response: “Fact: Terrorism has no religion, race, or nationality. Standing against terror should unit us all. #BostonExplosion #BostonMarathon.”
Other tweets noted that members of the Muslim community have been sympathetic aside from “a couple crazies.”

WaPo noted that Dubai-based social media consultant Iyad El-Baghdadi tweeted: “Went to my ‘Islamists’ list; good to know that most comments are sympathetic. Only a couple crazies out of 200-something. #BostonMarathon.”
“Whoever the culprit, no religion justifies this act of violence. We must remain united against extremism,” tweeted Qasim Rashid, chairman of the Muslim Writer’s Guild of America and a self-described marathon runner.
Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that head of a Jordanian Salafi group said he is “happy to see the horror in America” after the explosions at the Boston Marathon.
“American blood isn’t more precious than Muslim blood,” said Mohammad al-Chalabi, who was convicted in 2003 for his role in an al Qaeda-linked plot to attack U.S. and other Western diplomatic missions in Jordan.
“Let the Americans feel the pain we endured by their armies occupying Iraq and Afghanistan and killing our people there,” he said soon after the attack.
Meanwhile, the “please don’t be a Muslim” tweets continue to abound on Twitter:



http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013...gs-on-twitter/

Authorities ID person of interest as Saudi national in marathon bombings, under guard at Boston hospital

• Last Updated: 9:14 PM, April 15, 2013
• Posted: 4:28 PM, April 15, 2013

AP

Police clear the area at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon.

Investigators have a suspect — a Saudi Arabian national — in the horrific Boston Marathon bombings, The Post has learned.
Law enforcement sources said the 20-year-old suspect was under guard at an undisclosed Boston hospital.

Fox News reported that the suspect suffered severe burns.

It was not immediately clear why the man was hospitalized and whether he was injured in the attack or in his apprehension.
The man was caught less than two hours after the 2:50 p.m. bombing on the finish line of the race, in the heart of Boston.

12 DEAD, 50 INJURED AFTER 2 EXPLOSIONS ROCK BOSTON MARATHON
NY AUTHORITIES RAMP UP SECURITY AFTER BOSTON EXPLOSIONS
PHOTOS: EXPLOSIONS ROCK BOSTON MARATHON

In addition, Boston police have surveillance video of someone bringing multiple backpacks to the blast site, according to CBS News.

Police also confirmed that there was a third explosion, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. It was not immediately clear how much damage was done or whether it was related to the bombings at the marathon finish line.
The library bombing occurred about 4:30 p.m. and more than a mile from the marathon.

A law enforcement source confirmed to The Post that 12 people were killed and nearly 50 were injured in today's blast.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/nationa...9uC2PDGIjYBalO

6:04 p.m. ET: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D- Calif., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, tells ABC News: ”It is a terrorist incident. … It could be foreign, it could be homegrown.” She said the attack had the “hallmarks” of a terror attack.

Article at
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headline...hon-explosion/