Pakistani Taliban Deny Responsibility for Boston Marathon Bombings

The Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan denied that it executed yesterday's bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon that killed three people, including an 8-year-old boy, and wounded 144 more, some seriously.

“We believe in attacking US and its allies but we are not involved in this attack,” Ihsanullah Ihsan, the top spokesman for the Movement of the Taliban in Pakistan, told AFP. “We have no connection to this bombing but we will continue to target them wherever possible.”

The Movement of the Taliban was quick to claim credit for the failed Times Square bombing on May 1, 2010. Within hours of attempting to detonate a car bomb in the heart of New York City, the Pakistani Taliban sent two videotapes to The Long War Journal , one of its emir, Hakeemullah Mehsud, and another of Qari Hussain, a trainer of suicide bombers, claiming the attack. Months later, the Pakistani Taliban released a videotape of Hakeemullah Mehsud talking with Faisal Shahzad, the operative who built and attempted to detonate the car bomb.

No group has claimed credit for yesterday's bombing at the Boston Marathon.

The two blasts near the finish line of the marathon occurred within seconds of each other. The bombs were detonated some 50 to 100 yards apart on the same side of the street as runners were crossing the finish line.

Officials said that three people were killed in the blasts, and 144 were wounded; 17 are said to be in critical condition and 25 more are seriously hurt. Some of the injuries are severe; more than a dozen amputations have been reported.

There are conflicting reports about unexploded explosive devices that were recovered. Some reports say that upwards of five such devices were found, while others say none were found. The bombs are said to have been made with gunpowder and packed with materials to maximize injuries.

There are also conflicting reports about a third, possibly related incident, which occurred over an hour later, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Dorchester, a few miles away. It has been described variously as a fire and an explosion, and authorities have not definitively ruled out a connection to the Marathon bombings.

Local and federal agencies are still gathering clues on the perpetrators of the bombings. A law enforcement advisory has been issued that warned police to be on the lookout for a “darker-skinned or black male” with a foreign accent. The man was seen with a backpack and was attempting to gain access to a secured area just minutes prior to the bombings.

Additionally, a 20-year-old Saudi citizen who was wounded in the blast is currently being questioned by the FBI and is a person of interest, according to reports. Authorities have searched his apartment but police have not said if evidence linking him to the attack has been found.