Whoever was behind the Boston bombs chose their timing and venue carefully.
It is not clear whether they were carried out by a terrorist group or a murderous loner, by foreigners or Americans. But to set off two devices at a crowded event on Patriot’s Day – the start of Boston’s spring – suggests it was primed for maximum publicly. Given the density of the crowd watching the city’s annual marathon, it is extraordinary that the bombs did not claim a higher toll than the three lives so tragically cut short. The goal now for the US authorities must be to remain calm, find the culprits and keep politics out of it.
Barack Obama’s statements on Monday and yesterday set the right tone. The US president vowed to leave no stone unturned in pursuit of the killer or killers. And he defined it as an act of terrorism. Beyond that, however, Mr Obama did not speculate.