Crime & Safety

Terror Suspect Captured

SWAT teams surrounded the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings and arrested him Friday night in Watertown.

As SWAT teams captured the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings Friday night, Watertown (MA) residents let out a collective sigh of relief along with a long round of applause for police officers.

One officer, acknowledging the cheers, nodded and said, "God bless America."

The intensive stand-off capped a chaotic 24 hours in which police killed the first suspect, identified as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and pursued his 19-year-old brother, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev. Police hunted the second suspect down to a backyard in Watertown, where he was bloodied and hiding out in a shrink-wrapped boat on a trailer.

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He was captured without injury to responding officers. The two brothers ambushed an MIT officer, killing him, and they critically injured an MBTA officer, before this phase of the investigation came to a conclusion.

Gov. Maggie Hassan, who earlier in the dispatched New Hampshire State Police teams to assist in the massive manhunt, said law enforcement officers and agencies for working together to apprehend the suspects. She said:

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"I join the people of New Hampshire in extending our most heartfelt gratitude to all those who put their lives on the line to keep us all safe today. Law enforcement officials, emergency responders and all involved have demonstrated unyielding bravery and expert skill in apprehending this suspect of these horrific acts of cowardice and terror. From the Town of Watertown, the City of Boston, the State of Massachusetts, the State of New Hampshire, and far and wide, they came together, stood together, and never wavered, and we will forever be grateful for their incredible dedication to the safety of our people. Thank you."

Friday night timeline as the arrest unfolded

8:45 p.m. He is in custody!

8:38 p.m. BREAKING NEWS: Three people have been taken into custody in New Bedford as part of the terror bombing investigation, Watertown Patch reports.

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8:25 p.m. The Patch editor in Watertown reports the bomb squad is moving in.

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7:54 p.m. Channel 7 reports a "boom" and fresh gunshots.

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7:39 p.m. CBS reports that the person in the boat is alive and pinned down. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino told CBS that the person in the boat is the second suspect in the Marathon bombings. WBZ News Radio 1030 confirms thermal imaging from a helicopter helped locate the person.

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7:25 p.m. Three SWAT trucks rolled into the area. They appear to be from the Boston Police Department.

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7:27 p.m. The scene in question is about a half mile from the other shooting area. It's near Mount Auburn and Franklin. Channel 5 reports there is a very bloody person pinned down in a boat in the backyard of that home.

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7:21 p.m. Police say stay away from windows, get as far away from where gunfire is taking place and put as many things between you and gunfire as possible.

4:58 p.m.: It's been a long, difficult and emotional week. To keep track of the developments since the first bomb exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, we've created this interactive time line of events.

4:35 p.m.: The White House released photos of President Obama meeting members of his national security team to discuss developments in the Boston bombings investigation, in the Situation Room of the White House. 

4:21 p.m.: WCVB is reporting the bombing suspects were at the 7-Eleven, but did not rob it. The robbery was unrelated.

3:30 p.m.: "Suspect No. 1," aka Tamerlar Tsarnaev, who was killed early this morning as police hunted down the Boston Marathon bombers, was recalled by a Manchester (NH) boxing official for his Golden Gloves fighting almost a decade ago in Lowell, Mass., New Hampshire Public Radio reports.

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12:53 p.m.: New Hampshire State Police SWAT members are deployed in greater Watertown as the manhunt continues. There is no official estimate available on how many state troopers and related law enforcement officers are currently deployed to Massachusetts.

Some of the television images from Watertown have shown New Hampshire "assets," including one armored police vehicle.

Nashua police has deployed 30 officers to the manhunt.

12:44 p.m.: Gov. Maggie Hassan and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) are among the New Hampshire leaders offering thoughts and prayers to the family of fallen MIT Police Officer Sean Collier. Hassan tweeted, in part: "Thoughts are w/ his family & all brave law enforcement members in Boston, many from NH."

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12:30 p.m.: New Hampshire State Police SWAT and its Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit have deployed assets to support Massachusetts State Police.

The deployment was made at the request of the Massachusetts State Police, in support of the ongoing security efforts in Watertown to hunt down the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing.

New Hampshire State Police, in conjunction with local and county law enforcement agencies, continue a high state of readiness in New Hampshire, police said.

RELATED Marathon Bombing stories:

  • Hassan Urges NH Residents to Stay Out of Boston
  • 30 Nashua Police Called in to Assist
  • BVI Hosts Benefit for Man Who Lost Legs in Bombing
  • Bomber Shoot-Out: Shot Cop has Exeter Ties
  • Report: Bauman Helped ID Suspects
  • FBI Releases New Photos of Marathon Bombing Suspects
  • Chelmsford's Bauman Reportedly Saw Bombing Suspect
  • Obama: 'Even When Our Heart Aches ... We Finish the Race.'


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