President Obama said on Tuesday that the bombings at the Boston Marathon were being investigated as an “act of terrorism,” though he said law enforcement authorities did not know whether it was the work of foreign or domestic groups or individuals.
“This was a heinous and cowardly act, and given what we know about what took place, the F.B.I. is investigating it as an act of terrorism,” Mr. Obama said in a brief appearance at the White House. “Anytime bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror.”
“What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack or why,” the president said, “whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual. That’s what we don’t yet know.”
It was the president’s first reference to the bombings as a terrorist attack, after a cautious first response on Monday, in which Mr. Obama did not use the word “terrorism,” even as White House officials confirmed that they were treating it as an “act of terror.”
But after a morning briefing from the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III; the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano; and his chief counterterrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco, Mr. Obama concluded that all the evidence pointed to a terrorist act.
The president paid tribute to police officers, rescue teams, doctors and others who responded to the harrowing scene at the finish line of the marathon, describing images of runners finishing the race and then sprinting to hospitals to donate blood, and spectators who tore off their clothing to make tourniquets for the wounded.
“The American people refuse to be terrorized,” Mr. Obama said. “What the world saw yesterday in the aftermath of the explosion were stories of heroism and kindness and generosity and love.”
While the president said that the authorities did not know whether the attack was foreign or domestic, he appeared to issue a warning to the nation’s foreign enemies.
“If you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that’s it: selflessly, compassionately, unafraid,” he said.
The president’s words contrasted with his appearance before the cameras three hours after the bombings, when he offered comfort to the American public and pledged to hunt down and bring to justice those responsible, but did not label the attack terrorism.
That step was taken a few minutes after Mr. Obama left the podium, when the National Security Council issued a statement, attributed to an unnamed official, that said the attack was “clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror.”
The White House’s strategy reflected the paucity of reliable information in the chaotic hours after the attack, as well as lessons learned from previous attacks, when Mr. Obama and other senior officials were criticized either for saying too little, and appearing slow to act, or for making statements that later proved to be erroneous.
“This was a heinous and cowardly act, and given what we know about what took place, the F.B.I. is investigating it as an act of terrorism,” Mr. Obama said in a brief appearance at the White House. “Anytime bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror.”
“What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack or why,” the president said, “whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual. That’s what we don’t yet know.”
It was the president’s first reference to the bombings as a terrorist attack, after a cautious first response on Monday, in which Mr. Obama did not use the word “terrorism,” even as White House officials confirmed that they were treating it as an “act of terror.”
But after a morning briefing from the F.B.I. director, Robert S. Mueller III; the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano; and his chief counterterrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco, Mr. Obama concluded that all the evidence pointed to a terrorist act.
The president paid tribute to police officers, rescue teams, doctors and others who responded to the harrowing scene at the finish line of the marathon, describing images of runners finishing the race and then sprinting to hospitals to donate blood, and spectators who tore off their clothing to make tourniquets for the wounded.
“The American people refuse to be terrorized,” Mr. Obama said. “What the world saw yesterday in the aftermath of the explosion were stories of heroism and kindness and generosity and love.”
While the president said that the authorities did not know whether the attack was foreign or domestic, he appeared to issue a warning to the nation’s foreign enemies.
“If you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that’s it: selflessly, compassionately, unafraid,” he said.
The president’s words contrasted with his appearance before the cameras three hours after the bombings, when he offered comfort to the American public and pledged to hunt down and bring to justice those responsible, but did not label the attack terrorism.
That step was taken a few minutes after Mr. Obama left the podium, when the National Security Council issued a statement, attributed to an unnamed official, that said the attack was “clearly an act of terror, and will be approached as an act of terror.”
The White House’s strategy reflected the paucity of reliable information in the chaotic hours after the attack, as well as lessons learned from previous attacks, when Mr. Obama and other senior officials were criticized either for saying too little, and appearing slow to act, or for making statements that later proved to be erroneous.
Source: NYTimes
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