Update, 9:10 p.m. EST: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been taken into police custody; his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was killed early this morning … STUNNING PHOTOS (below) show a gaunt-looking Dzhokhar exiting the backyard boat he was hiding in, and then being examined by an ATF medic …
This update concludes The Daily Caller’s live blog of the manhunt for the alleged Boston Marathon bombers. Keep checking in at The Daily Caller for news on this and other stories. …
Update, 9:00 p.m. EST: New at The Daily Caller: Bouncing Czech update: Ambassador from the Czech Republic explains that Chechnya and the Czech Republic are very different entities, writes Caroline May.
Update, 8:55 p.m. EST: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing, was taken into police custody this evening in Watertown, Massachusetts.
Update, 8:52 p.m. EST: “Great job,” says Boston police scanner.
Update, 8:48 p.m. EST: Police scanner corroborates that suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, second suspect in Boston Marathon bombing, has been taken into custody.
Update, 8:47 p.m. EST: “Suspect in custody. Officers sweeping the area. Stand by for further info,” says Boston Police Twitter feed.
Update, 8:44 p.m. EST: Police scanner chatter continues to refer to “suspect in custody,” but it is not clear if that is at 67 Franklin Street or Watertown High School. Permimeter around Franklin Street remains intact.
View Area map of law enforcement Watertown standoff in a larger map
Update, 8:41 p.m. EST: Police scanner chatter says “suspect in custody.”
Update, 8:40 p.m. EST: CNN reports that three people — two males and a female — have been taken into custody in New Bedford, Massachusetts. This was reportedly part of a search of past associates of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Update, 8:39 p.m. EST: In the 5,000,000th suspicious bag/package/person call of the day, BPD police scanner reporting an “abandoned black bag” within walking distance of the scene at Franklin Street. …
Update, 8:38 p.m. EST: Police scanner chatter says there’s a “bearcat” on the scene. A Bearcat is a bomb disposal truck.
Update, 8:34 p.m. EST: New at The Daily Caller: Josh Peterson notices that former Obama administration official David Axelrod, who earlier this week speculated that the president was too polite to say the bomber was a Tea Party zealot, has been silent since the suspects have been named.
Update, 8:21 p.m. EST: There is a standoff of some kind on Franklin Street in Watertown. Explosions have been heard and the suspect is said to be surrounded and alive. It is not clear what the situation is. Police scanner chatter says the area of 67 Franklin Street has been secured. There is speculation that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is wearing explosives.
Update, 8:05 p.m. EST: Police scanner chatter says negotiator is on the scene.
Update, 8:00 p.m. EST: Fox and CNN reporting that the suspect is injured. Not clear how this is known.
Update, 7:53 p.m. EST: Two explosions have been heard in vicinity of 67 Franklin Street. Some reports say “eight to ten explosions.”
Update, 7:47 p.m. EST: All newsnets are reporting that the suspect is alive and surrounded, possibly hiding in or under a boat in the backyard at 67 Franklin St. in Watertown.
Update, 7:17 p.m. EST: Police are sending a robot into an address on Franklin Street in Waterton. Reports that a woman called in a report of bloody clothes that brought the cops to the address.
Update, 7:04 p.m. EST: Fox News and others are reporting “more than 20 shots” fired in Watertown. Police source says a suspect is down.
Update, 6:45 p.m. EST: Recent coverage of the Tsarnaev manhunt from The Daily Caller:
City of Boston gave ‘subsidy’ to bombing suspects’ radical mosque, by Patrick Howley
One bombing suspect loved pot and Obama, the other was married, by Robby Soave
New York Times shows sympathy for Boston terrorist suspects, by Christopher Bedford
Peter King on spread of radical Islam: ‘We can’t be politically correct’ [VIDEO], by Jeff Poor
Naming of suspects foils racialist, sociological agendas, by Tim Cavanaugh
Allen West: ‘We have domestic radical Islamic terror problem in America’ by Caroline May
Update, 6:21 p.m. EST: Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick at press conference says shelter-in-place order for Boston area has been lifted.
IS THIS A PHOTO OF THE DECEASED “SUSPECT 1”? Law enforcement sources are telling some news sites, including TMZ, that it is … UPDATE: PHOTO IS CONFIRMED TO BE SUSPECT 2, AFTER HE WAS RUN OVER BY CAR, SHOT, CUT OPEN BY SURGEON, HIT BY EXPLOSIVE DEVICE … WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO SAY IS, THIS PHOTO IS GRAPHIC . …
Update, 6:08 p.m. EST: In press conference, Col. Timothy Alben of the Massachusetts State Police says no leads in the pursuit of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev “have been fruitful.” Says police have “no direct knowledge that [Tsarnaev] is here in the Boston area” but does not believe he has fled.
Update, 3:50 p.m. EST: Tonight’s Red Sox game, Bruins game and Big Apple Circus have all been cancelled as the city remains under government lockdown.
Update, 3:09 p.m. EST: A photo provided to The Daily Caller shows what appear to be Blackhawk helicopters on the lawn of UMass Dartmouth, the school attended by at-large bombing suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev. The photo was taken this morning as the school was evacuated.
Update, 2:35 p.m. EST:The conservative blog Potluck notes that the car that was allegedly hijacked by the Tsarnaev brothers last night is the proud home of a “Coexist” bumper-sticker.
Update, 1:58 p.m. EST: More relatives of the Tsarnaev brothers are now talking to authorities and the press. Maret Tsarnaev, their aunt, tells CNN that the boys came to the U.S. in April 2002. The FBI, meanwhile, is talking to their sister in northern New Jersey.
Update, 1:50 p.m. EST: NBC’s Richard Engel says American authorities want to know whether the Islamic Jihad Union, an Al Qaeda offshoot, was involved in the Boston attacks.
Update, 12:46 p.m. EST: Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov says his country is not to blame for the Boston attacks. According to an article on a Russian news service translated for The Daily Caller by Cambridge resident Gene Barsukov, Kadyrov said that if the Tsarnaev brothers did commit the bombings, their views were formed in America, not Chechnya. He also said that he is tired of people blaming Chechens for everything, “even tsunami.”
Interestingly, Foreign Policy reports that one of Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s favorite YouTube videos was one that called the Muslim Kadyrov an “apostate” for his pro-Russian views.
Update, 12:24 p.m. EST: NBC News reports that at-large Boston bombing suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev is a naturalized American citizen. According to the news network, he became a citizen last year on September 11th.
Update, 11:56 a.m. EST: Ruslan Tsarni, the uncle of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, described his nephews as “losers” Friday morning. Via TheDC’s Patrick Howley:
“Being losers,” Ruslan Tsarni, the uncle of bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, said in a press conference outside his Maryland home Friday when asked what motivated his nephews to carry out the bombings….“Anything having to do with religion, with Islam, is a fake,” Tsarni said, in regard to reports that his nephews’ Muslim religion may have influenced their terrorist attack. Tsarni said that his nephews never expressed any hatred toward America.
Update, 11:51 a.m. EST: Business Insider has put up a Google-translated statement from Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov that was posted on Instagram this morning:
“The tragic events took place in Boston. The blast killed people. We have previously expressed their condolences to the people of the city and the people of America. Today, as reported by the media, while trying to arrest a Tsarnaea was killed. It would be logical if he was detained and investigated, found all the circumstances and the degree of his guilt. Apparently, the special services needed by all means to calm the result of society. Any attempt to make the connection between Chechnya and Tsarnaevymi if they are guilty, in vain. They grew up in the United States, their attitudes and beliefs were formed there. It is necessary to seek the roots of evil in America. From terrorism to fight the whole world. We know better than anyone else. We wish recovery to all the victims and share the feelings of sorrow Americans.”
Update, 11:47 a.m. EST: Foreign Policy has put together a useful guide to Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s favorite YouTube videos.
Update, 10:37 a.m. EST: TheDC’s Patrick Howley has put together all we currently know about Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the now-dead Boston Marathon bombing suspect. He “was a student at Bunker Hill Community College and a Golden Gloves boxer who trained at Wai Kru mixed martial arts gym in Boston and competed in a national Golden Gloves competition.” He also described himself as a “very religious” Muslim. Read the full story here.
Update, 10:20 a.m. EST: The now-deceased bombing suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, apparently posted a video touting an Al Qaeda-linked “prophesy.” You can watch it here.
Update, 10:03 a.m. EST: Buzzfeed reports that high school classmates of at-large Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzokhar Tsarnaev, 19, are shocked by today’s news. The former classmates describe Dzokhar as a “sweet, sort of quiet” boy with a number of friends at the prestigious Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.
Update, 9:37 a.m. EST: Anzor Tsarnaev, the father of both Boston Marathon bombing suspects, spoke with The Associated Press by telephone from the Russian city of Makhachkala on Friday: “My son is a true angel. … Dzhokhar is a second-year medical student in the U.S. He is such an intelligent boy. We expected him to come on holidays here.” Read the full AP story here.
Update, 9:14 a.m. EST: The Weekly Standard reports that wanted Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev received a city scholarship from Boston in 2011, and attended the same prestigious secondary school as actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Update, 9:07 a.m. EST: It appears Boston PD was relaying threats posted by this Twitter account . … It is possible but unconfirmed that someone impersonating Boston Marathon bombing “Suspect 2” Dzhokhar Tsarnaev created the account on Twitter one hour ago, tricking Boston police ..
Update, 9:03 a.m. EST: Offer relays harrowing news over police radio: “He is posting online, ‘I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU, AS YOU KILLED MY BROTHER,'” officer says. … 19-year-old Suspect 2 may try to avenge deceased brother, 26-year-old Suspect 1, who was killed earlier today in a shootout with police. … “SUSPECT IS POSTING ONLINE, HE’S GOING TO KILL EVERYONE BECAUSE YOU KILLED MY BROTHER,” officer says at 9:02 a.m. … Police also looking at home on Boyleston Street, where there is a report of a man with a hoodie on a laptop …
Update, 8:50 a.m. EST: “Did anyone get a clear visual of him running into a home?” an officer asks on the scanner. There is no response. … Officer then says he saw suspect wearing hoodie OUTSIDE THE POLICE PERIMETER. … Air unit alerted. …
New photo of suspect has been released by FBI:
Update, 8:38 a.m. EST: Tactical team is in place at Willow Park. “We don’t need any more help here,” one officer said over the police radio at 8:38 a.m., before voicing concern that units are rushing into the Willow Park area haphazardly, and abandoning previously secured perimeters and locations. … “We need to move the media back,” one officer says. … Police report finding a “rocket” in a house basement near Willow Park. … Officer notices window curtains rustling. …
VIEW GOOGLE MAP OF WILLOW PARK AREA:
View Larger Map
Update, 8:33 a.m. EST: Foot pursuit at Willow Park. … Watertown PD is responding. … Police are on Dexter by Willow Park, #17, pursuing a suspect in a dark hoodie. … From the scanner: “All units use caution, there’s plainclothes officers in there also.” … “Some officers, stay on Dexter in case he doubles back. Somebody get back here! … Guys, get behind cover. Warning: Use caution on approach. Trigger was found on body at the morgue.” … “Start a tactical team down here, please.” …
Update, 8:18 a.m. EST: “All officers, use extreme caution. Suspect may have suicide vest on,” officer says on Boston PD scanner. … “SUSPECT IS REPORTED TO BE WEARING SUICIDE VEST,” another officer says seconds later. … DECEASED “SUSPECT 1” HAD TRIGGER ON HIS BODY FOR EXPLOSIVE DEVICE … The 19-year-old suspect at large was born in Kyrgyzstan, while his deceased older brother was born in Russia, authorities confirm. …
Update, 7:57 a.m. EST: A man named Tamerlan Tzarnaev recently described himself as “very religious” and did not like to take his shirt off around females, according to a social media post uploaded by a boxing blog. Tamerlan Tzarnaev was the real name of 26-year-old Boston Marathon “Suspect 1,” who is now deceased, according to authorities. The Daily Caller has not confirmed the Tzarnaev described and photographed by the boxing blog is in fact Suspect 1, and is working to verify that they are the same person.
“If he wins enough fights there, Tamerlan says he could be selected for the US Olympic team and be naturalized American,” the boxing blog post reads. “Unless his native Chechnya becomes independent, Tamerlan says he would rather compete for the United States than for Russia.”
Update, 7:54 a.m. EST: Police are going door to door looking for Suspect 2, according to the official Boston PD Twitter account:
#CommunityAlert: Door-to-door search 4 suspect in Watertown continues. Uniformed officers searching. Community consent critical.
— Boston Police Dept. (@Boston_Police) April 19, 2013
Update, 7:34 a.m. EST: Police are being dispatched to the Moakley federal courthouse after reports that Suspect 2, the only living suspect, entered a cab and headed towards the courthouse. … The two Boston Marathon suspects are brothers, according to CNN. … NBC reports the older brother and deceased “Suspect 1” was 26-year-old TAMERLAN TZARNAEV. …
This disturbing video was taken from Suspect 2’s (19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s) social media page:
Djohar last logged into his social media page at 6:00 p.m. last night. …
Update, 7:16 a.m. EST: This photo of the 19-year-old “Suspect 2” (real name either Dzhokhar or Djohar A. Tsarnaev), who is currently terrorizing Boston is now circulating on social media. According to Russia Today, here is his social media profile. The profile identifies the man as Muslim, with his world view listed as “Islam.” The birthdate on the social media profile matches the birthdate of Tsarnaev provided by the FBI. …
Boston PD are now responding to report of a suspicious “white box truck with Russian lettering on the side of it.” …
Update, 7:15 a.m. EST: Suspect may be in a cab headed towards courthouse, officer reports on police scanner. No make or model available on the cab, officer reports. …
Update, 7:00 a.m. EST: A pipe bomb has just been detonated near Commonwealth Avenue, according to a Boston police scanner. … EMTs have been requested to respond. … The AP has identified the two suspects as coming from the “Russian region near Chechnya.” … Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, is reportedly the remaining suspect. … “Russia’s North Caucasus region has been plagued by an Islamic insurgency stemming from separatist wars in Chechnya,” AP reports. … (READ THE AP REPORT) … Successful controlled detonation reported by police …
Update, 6:37 a.m. EST: Five tactical police teams have just begun a house-by-house search to clear quadrants in Watertown, looking for Boston Marathon bombing “Suspect 2,” according to Boston PD. … Two men are still in handcuffs at the location of the cab mentioned in the 6:17 a.m. update below, and the bomb squad is on the scene. … Police are responding to #10 Fairfield, where a resident has reported that her shed door lock has been broken. …
Stunning picture surfaces on Twitter of apparent SWAT presence in Boston (look to far right, on the roof):
Update, 6:27 a.m. EST: Police are still working to confirm location of second suspect. … Photographs of the suspect are being sent to officiers. … Boston University announces it is closed today. …
Update, 6:17 a.m. EST: “He’s in custody right now,” a unit radioed in on Boston PD radio, after stopping a cab. “Sir, as of right now, they’re all on the deck outside the cab. We haven’t checked the trunk yet,” the officer said, suggesting Suspect 2 may have been in the cab. “Don’t check the trunk; don’t use your cell,” commanding officer radioed back seconds later. It is unclear whether Suspect 2 was in the cab. … ALL BOSTON BUSES AND SUBWAYS HAVE BEEN SHUT DOWN. …
Update, 6:08 a.m. EST: It’s dawn in Boston, but police are complaining that fog is obscuring visibility. Bomb squad officials are going through cars on Laurel Street (pictured below). … Police are investigating a house with a wide open door at 20 Beachwood. The resident is “afraid to go in on his own,” according to police dispatcher. … A white male with a dark-colored bag has been spotted trying to catch a ride by flagging down random vehicles near Beacon Park and Mass Pike Road in Brighton. Officers are now approaching. … “Tac teams should be ready to receive their quadrants,” a dispatcher says, as officers prepare to begin systematic search. … To recap, one Boston Marathon bombing suspect is confirmed dead, and another (who was seen in a white baseball cap on the day of the bombings) is on the loose. … One MIT police officer is dead. …
SWAT teams are also actively clearing Laurel Street, as of 6:05 a.m.:
Update, 5:46 a.m. EST: Suspect ducked into the woods when police attempted to make contact, according to a police radio broadcast that just went out seconds ago. … A call for anyone with “less-lethal shotguns” has also just gone out; officers want them brought to the command post at Arsenal mall ASAP. …
VIEW MAP OF AREAS AFFECTED BY NIGHT OF TERROR IN BOSTON:
View Shootings 4/19 MIT && Carjacking related to boston bombers in a larger map
Update, 5:43 a.m. EST: Police have called in a negotiator. It is unclear whether the second suspect has been cornered or located. … According to NBC, police have confirmed both suspects have “international links” and have been in the country legally for approximately one year. … All subway lines/commuter rail/ T public transportation service has been suspended …
Update, 5:26 a.m. EST: Police are now approaching a white male on a bike with a heavy backpack coming from Cambridge towards Boston.
Update, 5:05 a.m. EST: Officers dispatched to investigate “large Mack truck” near Harvard Business School. … Police chief warns residents not to open their doors. … Boston Marathon “Suspect 2” on the loose, “Suspect 1” dead, police confirm. … FBI believes both suspects lingered after remotely detonating Marathon bombs and watched the carnage from close by. … NBC is reporting the suspects may have overseas military training, and came to the country a year ago with the intent of committing acts of terror. … Middlesex district attorney says suspects killed MIT police officer, then stole car at gunpoint and released driver unharmed. During a chase with police, they reportedly tossed bombs from their car … MIT now reports campus is all clear. …
Update, 5:00 a.m. EST: Three injured officers have been reported by EMS via radio at “Boston PD command post” at Arsenal mall. … “Multiple officers injured, Arsenal court.” … All canine units in Watertown have now been deployed. … Bomb units respond to 540 Memorial Dr., but find nothing dangerous. … One suspect still remains at large. … Heavily armored “BearCat” bomb neutralization truck moving now to Lauriet & Dexter. …
Update, 4:39 a.m. EST: First suspect was reportedly dead on arrival at a local hospital, Mt. Auburn. Police just issued a radio warning to officers searching for the remaining suspect: “UNITS, USE CAUTION. WE’VE JUST RECEIVED INFORMATION THE PARTY MIGHT HAVE AN EXPLOSIVE OBJECT ON HIS PERSON.” ... Another officer said on the radio at 4:33 a.m. that the first suspect may have died when a suicide vest or bomb he was carrying detonated when he was taken into custody. … “The person that is currently at large might have a device on his person if we come across him. … [that is] believed to be based on a device found on the first subject.” … FBI bomb technicians have been called to the scene. … “All tactical commanders” have just been called to the “state police command truck” for an immediate briefing …
Update, 4:28 a.m. EST: Boston police have released this photo of one of the suspects they are currently seeking. It was taken at a local convenience store tonight. … A suspicious package has been cleared at Fairfield & Oliver … “It wouldn’t hurt to have ’em,” one officer on Dexter St. said at 4:25 a.m. when asked if he needs a 15-officer SWAT team currently idling at the Arsenal mall command post … At Fairfield & Dexter in Watertown, there is a four-door older brown or tan sedan that “the two suspects were seen going into and out of at some point during the evening,” an officer said on Boston PD radio at 4:27 a.m. … Officers are now securing that vehicle … At 475 Arsenal Court, a suspicious male has been seen carrying a backpack. Officers from Watertown PD are now responding to that location as well, and looking to talk with the witness who called it in at 4:28 a.m. …
Update, 4:09 a.m. EST: A canine unit has been requested to head to Dexter & Fairfield and 89 Dexter St. “ASAP.” A police “tactical bear” bomb disposal unit and bomb technician have been requested to respond as well. Police continue to search houses and adjoining streets and backyards. .. TACTICAL SILENCE: “Units heading to 89 Dexter, do not use your radios,” one officer warned at 4:13 a.m., in an apparent effort to avoid tipping off the suspect who may be hiding there … Officers on Spruce St. are being told to “kill your headlights.” …
Update, 3:41 a.m. EST: “We’re going to wait back and do a coordinated sweep when the light is with us,” one officer is saying on Boston police radio. Police are planning to search a contained perimeter for the remaining suspect shortly. A supervisor is now making the rounds to “make sure there’s no gaps” around the police’s perimeter. Multiple news websites are reporting pressure cooker devices have been found in Watertown. … At 100 Calcot Street, police are investigating why “motion sensor [alarms] are tripping.” … (VIEW A MAP OF KEY LOCATIONS AFFECTED BY TONIGHT’S EVENTS) …
Watch:
Update, 3:37 a.m. EST: Police are again now looking for a “Middle Eastern male” with a “charcoal gray hoodie,” according to Boston Police/EMS radio. They are reviewing store surveillance photographs from nearby stores. Twitter users and some reporters are speculating the suspect may be this missing Brown University student. The Daily Caller has been unable to confirm those reports. Sunil Tripathi, 22, went missing from the Ivy League school in March.
Update, 3:37 a.m. EST: A Twitter user has posted this photo, apparently showing a suspicious man with a backpack walking near Laurel Street … Then again isn’t EVERYONE WITH A BACKPACK IN BOSTON NOW A SUSPICIOUS MAN? ….
Update, 3:21 a.m. EST: Police have established a command post at the Arsenal mall. All officers who are not actively involved in maintaining a perimeter or crime scene have been ordered to report to the command post immediately. … Plainclothes officers, for the second time tonight, have been told to remain with uniformed officers. “Officers should be very careful of other officers,” one police official said at 3:20 a.m. over the radio. … “We want to make sure we’re not engaging each other. You should have something identifying you on. Stay with uniformed officers if you can.” Officers have been told they will be assigned a specialty once they reach the ad hoc command post at Arsenal mall.
A local resident posted to Twitter a picture of bullets in his home, under the Twitter username “AKitz”:
And another picture of the ongoing search on Laurel Street:
Update, 3:14 a.m. EST: Newton PD dispatch is now saying “there is no foot pursuit.” None of the department’s officers are engaged in a foot pursuit any longer. Suspect remains at large.
Update, 3:12 a.m. EST: Local news station WHDH is reporting a suspect has died in a hospital from injuries. A Newton PD police officer is reporting a foot pursuit past Cypress & Dexter and 321 Arsenal St. near Charles River Road. The suspect “possibly matches the description” of one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, an officer told dispatchers at 3:11 a.m. “I need an undeployed tactical team,” another replied. Canines have been deployed, and officers are forming a perimeter. Cruisers are lining up to prevent suspects from jumping into the nearby Charles River. “Only SWAT assets at this time,” one officer said over the radio at 3:06 a.m.
Update, 2:46 a.m. EST: Officer: “Suspect could have an IED explosive device on him, use extreme caution in the area of Brighton, Watertown and Cambridge.” The suspect that is outstanding, according to an officer on Boston PD radio, “is the party in the white hat that was identified in the photos,” apparently referring to the Boston Marathon bomber in recently released FBI photos. He is currently dressed in a black hoodie and has curly hair, police are saying. A police robot has been deployed to search parked cars and suspicious items.
Update, 2:43 a.m. EST: Police are now looking for a “white male,” who is “armed and dangerous” with an “assault rifle” and possibly “explosives.” … The Boston Globe is reporting an MIT police officer has died.
Update, 2:35 a.m. EST: Report of “pipe bombs in the roadway” goes out over radio. According to the Boston Globe, one suspected Boston Marathon bomber is in custody. (Pictured above, a picture from CNN appears to show a suspect surrendering at gunpoint. It is unclear whether he is a suspect in the Marathon bombing.) Officers are searching an immobile gold Nissan Maxima. Six shots have been reported near Aberdeen Avenue by witnesses.
Update, 2:30 a.m. EST: A handgun magazine has been found by officers near 14 Hazel Street. Report of “possibly 15 shots fired” near Aberdeen and Mount Auburn just went out over the radio.
Update, 2:25 a.m. EST: 14 Hazel Street has been cleared. No suspects were inside, according to police radio.
Update, 2:16 a.m. EST: SWAT is involved in the raid on Hazel Street (pictured below, from Twitter user sethmnookin). Suspects are confirmed to “definitely” have “long guns” by two officers on police radio. A commanding officer is asking nearby officers to remain in “cover, not concealment,” because of the threat.
Update, 2:15 a.m. EST: Police have established a perimeter around a multi-story house at 14 Hazel Street and are right now making entry. Dogs are involved in the search. MIT students who are scared by the night’s events are requesting police escorts, according to a dispatcher. (LISTEN TO BOSTON POLICE/EMS COMMUNICATIONS HERE)
Watch amateur video of the shootout (WARNING: Graphic language):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_QWjOulRXQUpdate, 2:06 a.m. EST: Police, with helicopter support, are clearing a street “where a car is abandoned on.” They are reporting “very bad visibility” and are accompanied by “state police and the Fox Channel 4 helicopter.” Weather is “very soupy,” one officer says on the radio, adding that “we can’t be here very long.”
Update, 1:55 a.m. EST: Police radio suggests “code black” in effect at Auburn hospital.
Update, 1:50 a.m. EST: Police dispatcher says officers are looking for a “clean shaven Middle Eastern male,” wearing clothing with a “snowflake” logo of some kind. No further description was immediately passed to officers.
Update, 1:40 a.m. EST: Police responded briefly to a report of shots fired at a local children’s hospital, but are confirming over their radios now that “no shots were fired” at the hospital. Police are also saying “we do not have a second suspect in custody,” according to the police scanner. They are actively looking now for a second suspect.
Update, 1:27 a.m. EST: An officer came over the radio saying it might be “mundane,” but ordered officers to keep the streets “clear” to ensure that squad cars can rapidly deploy.
Update, 1:20 a.m. EST: “We’ve got a second suspect in custody,” one officer says over the police radio. He then added: “We’re not sure it’s him.”
Update, 1: 14 a.m. EST: MIT police say one suspect is in custody, but another may be at large. Officers were told over the radio to turn off their cellphones for fear of detonating explosive devices nearby.
“CP — to all units in area — power down all cellphones for fear of explosion,” a commanding officer said over the radio. “Power down your cellphones from a safe distance.”
According to Fox News, a reporter was told to power down his phone if he “wants to live.”
Update, 1:00 a.m. EST: At least one heavily armed assailant with “grenades” and “explosives” and firing “automatic gunfire” is loose near MIT’s campus, according to police dispatchers and the school’s emergency website, and police say are looking for “dark-skinned” and “Middle Eastern” suspects. (Listen to the live feed here)
According to a live audio feed from MIT police, an officer has been shot in the arm and taken to the hospital. Suspects with grenades and explosives apparently stole the officer’s gun and a “state police SUV,” according to officials talking on the police radio, and may have stormed a nearby convenience store.
“They have explosives, [and] some type of grenade. Shots fired, shots fired. Loud explosion. Loud explosion — shots fired, shots fired,” one officer says.
Officers could be heard screaming on their radio for backup officers “with long guns” at 12:55 a.m. EST.
Multiple media outlets have reported that at least one police officer has died.
Hair-raising reports coming in from a Boston Police scanner indicate that a report of a second officer down” and “definitely hand grenades and automatic gunfire.”
“Responding agencies are actively investigating the situation, which remains very fluid at this time,” campus police officials wrote at 12:28 a.m. “Police continue to sweep the campus. Stay indoors and remain inside until further notice.”
“We’re going to try to block them in in an alley,” one officer says on the radio at 11:34 p.m. “They’re both armed with firearms. They both paid cash at the shell station, then fled towards Harvard square. … Only one firearm was displayed.”
“[Suspects are] dark-skinned and one’s Middle Eastern,” another officer said over the radio. The Daily Caller has been unable to confirm the suspects’ ethnicities, and no other officers referenced a Middle Eastern suspect on the radio.
An earlier update on MIT’s website said gunshots had been fired.
“At 10:48 p.m. gunshots were reported near Building 32 (Stata) which is currently surrounded by responding agencies. The area is cordoned off. Please stay clear of area until further notice. Unknown if injuries have occurred. Although the situation is considered active and extremely dangerous, an investigation is underway. Updates will be provided at this site when more information becomes available.”
The Daily Caller’s Tim Cavanaugh, Will Rahn, Gregg Re, Josh Peterson, Vince Coglianese and Grae Stafford are contributing to this live blog.