Explosions in Boston today

I went down to North Carolina last week to attend my grandfather's funeral, where he received military honors, including a three-volley salute.  I was going to blog on that, and probably still will later this week.  However, something that affected more people than just my family occurred upon my return, namely the bombing attack on the Boston Marathon.

Around 3 pm today, two bombs went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.  At this point, it's not known who was responsible for the attack.  There are three dead so far, and over a hundred wounded, some critically, so that number may rise.  The Boston Herald has this to say at the moment:

Two huge explosions rocked the Boston Marathon finish line at Copley Square just before 3 p.m. today, killing three and injuring 134 at last count, including several traumatic amputations on streets crowded with runners, spectators and post-race partiers.

Many of those injured are children — including an 8-year-old killed in the blast, the Herald has learned. Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said tonight there is "no suspect" and the death toll is now at three.

It's being called terrorism, since it is by definition a terror attack, but it's not known whether  it's domestic or foreign, an individual or a group.  We'll find out more in the coming days.

This hits pretty close to home for me. While my wife was in Arlington all day, I was at work in downtown Boston when the attack occurred.  I didn't hear the explosion myself, but it was within a mile and a half of where I work.  Still, I missed most of the chaos, and things had settled down by the time I headed home.

What I don't know is whether anyone I know was hit by the blast.  I know people who were watching the marathon, and even a few people running in it.  So far, I haven't learned whether anyone I knew was injured, but it may be a while before I hear from everyone.