https://www.scmp.com/rss/210203/feed On April 15, 2013, two bomb blasts rocked the annual Boston Marathon, injuring more than 170 people and killing three others: Martin Richard, 8; Krystle Campbell, 29; and Lu Lingzu, 23, a Chinese student at Boston University. The suspects later forced a standoff with authorities. They were identified as two ethnic Chechen brothers from southern Russia who had been in the US for about a decade, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, who died in the gun... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The trial of the only suspect in the Boston bombings begins today with jury selection, 20 months after the attack that turned the city’s annual marathon into a scene of carnage. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, a young Muslim of Chechen origin, faces the death penalty for the bombing that was the worst act of terror on US soil since the September 11 attacks in 2001. Tsarnaev must be present in federal court in Boston for the beginning of the trial process. Two bombs placed near the end of the Boston... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1674145/boston-marathon-bombers-trial-set-begin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1674145/boston-marathon-bombers-trial-set-begin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2015 06:45:30 +0000 A US prosecutor told a jury that a friend of Boston marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had lied repeatedly to the FBI during the investigation into the deadly attack, while the friend's lawyer said he was a frightened 19-year-old whose memory was clouded by heavy marijuana use. The starkly different descriptions of Robel Phillipos were presented on Monday during opening statements at his federal trial. Phillipos, 21, is charged with lying to the FBI about being in Tsarnaev's dormitory... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1611511/friend-boston-bombing-suspect-told-string-lies-trial-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1611511/friend-boston-bombing-suspect-told-string-lies-trial-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2014 13:15:30 +0000 A college friend of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded guilty to removing evidence of the deadly 2013 attack. Dias Kadyrbayev, 20, is accused of removing a backpack with a laptop and fireworks casings emptied of gunpowder that can be used to make bombs from Tsarnaev's dorm room after realising his friend was suspected of carrying out the attack. "He made an error in judgment that he is paying for dearly," his lawyer Robert Stahl said after the hearing on Thursday in US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1579442/friend-boston-bomb-suspect-pleads-guilty-removing-evidence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1579442/friend-boston-bomb-suspect-pleads-guilty-removing-evidence?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2014 13:39:04 +0000 Boston marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told a friend a month before the attack that he knew how to make a bomb, a US prosecutor told jurors at the friend's obstruction trial. He also said it's good to be a martyr because you "die with a smile on your face and go straight to heaven", Assistant US Attorney Stephanie Siegmann said. Ninety minutes after the bombing, Tsarnaev texted the friend, Azamat Tazhayakov, and said, "Don't go thinking it's me", Siegmann also told the court on Monday... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1549865/boston-marathon-suspect-boasted-his-bomb-making-skills-prosecutor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1549865/boston-marathon-suspect-boasted-his-bomb-making-skills-prosecutor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2014 13:56:06 +0000 Watch: Runners reclaim Boston Marathon one year after attacks Tens of thousands of runners, cheered by a multitude of spectators, set off through the streets of Boston on Monday to reclaim the world’s oldest marathon from the fear left by last year’s deadly twin bombing. More than 3,500 police, double the size of the force last year, and multiple government security agencies are keeping watch to prevent any replay of the ghastly carnage that visited the race on April 15, last year when two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1493818/nearly-36000-runners-ready-first-boston-marathon-bomb-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1493818/nearly-36000-runners-ready-first-boston-marathon-bomb-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Apr 2014 13:55:28 +0000 It was a shocking slaying in a Boston suburb that sometimes goes years without one homicide, let alone three at once. The victims' throats had been sliced in a home on a tree-lined street, marijuana and cash strewn over their bodies. The investigation languished for more than 18 months until Tamerlan Tsarnaevjust a few days after the Boston Marathon explosions, when the FBI identified the suspected bombers as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, and his brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, ethnic Chechens who had... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1484499/could-boston-bombings-been-prevented-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1484499/could-boston-bombings-been-prevented-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Apr 2014 14:00:33 +0000 An FBI agent who shot dead a friend of one of the alleged Boston Marathon bombers during an interrogation will not face criminal prosecution, a Florida prosecutor said yesterday. The actions of the unnamed agent who killed Ibragim Todashev, a former martial arts fighter and associate of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were "justified in self-defence and in defence of another", Jeffrey Ashton, the state attorney for Orange and Osceola counties, said in a letter to FBI director James Comey. "Therefore, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1457366/fbi-agent-justified-shooting-boston-bomb-suspects-friend-says-florida?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1457366/fbi-agent-justified-shooting-boston-bomb-suspects-friend-says-florida?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Mar 2014 20:11:34 +0000 Investigators have concluded an FBI agent should be cleared of wrongdoing over the fatal shooting of a Chechen immigrant while he was being questioned about his ties to one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, a US law enforcement official said. The agent shot and killed 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev last May after Todashev suddenly attacked and injured the agent during an interrogation at his Orlando apartment, according to the FBI. A review of the incident prepared by a team of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1455063/fbi-agent-boston-bombings-clear-over-shooting-suspects-friend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1455063/fbi-agent-boston-bombings-clear-over-shooting-suspects-friend?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Mar 2014 22:00:45 +0000 An FBI agent overheard Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev make a "statement to his detriment" when his sister visited him in prison, US prosecutors said. Prosecutors did not reveal what Tsarnaev said, but they objected to what they called an attempt by Tsarnaev's lawyers to suppress the statement. Tsarnaev, 20, has pleaded not guilty in the attack at last year's marathon. Two pressure-cooker bombs were placed near the finish line, killing three people and wounding more than... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1438085/detrimental-statement-boston-marathon-bomb-suspect-claimed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1438085/detrimental-statement-boston-marathon-bomb-suspect-claimed?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Mar 2014 22:06:32 +0000 The organisers of the Boston Marathon have reserved 15 places for runners to compete in honour of Lu Lingzi, the mainland student who died in the bombing attack on the event last year, local media have reported. Lu, a 23-year-old graduate student at Boston University majoring in mathematics and statistics, was watching the race when two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the crowded finish line, killing her and two others. Hundreds more were injured, including Lu's friend, fellow student Zhou... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1422447/boston-runners-honour-slain-chinese-student?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1422447/boston-runners-honour-slain-chinese-student?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2014 19:45:45 +0000 Accused bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be put to death if he is found guilty of planting bombs that killed three people and wounded 264 at the Boston Marathon last year, the US government’s chief prosecutor said on Thursday. US Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement that he was authorising trial prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Tsarnaev, who is charged with committing one of the largest attacks on US soil since Septemper 11, 2001. “The nature of the conduct at issue and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1417768/us-seek-death-penalty-accused-boston-bomber?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1417768/us-seek-death-penalty-accused-boston-bomber?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jan 2014 20:30:45 +0000 Rolling Stone defended on Wednesday a cover story on Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, which triggered angry claims that it was “glamorising terrorism” and calls to boycott the US magazine. At least two US nationwide chain stores announced they would not be selling the latest issue of the publication, known for interviews with rock stars and others. The cover picture – showing a goateed Tsarnaev, 19, staring sadly at the camera with tousled brown curly hair – was likened to a famous... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1285399/rolling-stone-sparks-storm-boston-bombing-suspect-cover?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1285399/rolling-stone-sparks-storm-boston-bombing-suspect-cover?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2013 08:06:28 +0000 The family of a Chinese graduate student killed in the Boston Marathon bombing will reportedly receive US$2.2 million compensation, prompting a social media outcry over the lack of comparable assistance for disaster victims on the mainland. The compensation fund established after the April 15 attack will distribute US$64.3 million to victims and their families, including Boston University student Lu Lingzi , 23, of Shenyang , mainland media reported yesterday. The twin blasts wounded about 260... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1279103/chinese-boston-bombing-victims-family-get-us22m?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1279103/chinese-boston-bombing-victims-family-get-us22m?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev scrawled anti-American messages inside the boat where he lay wounded, according to US federal prosecutors. He wrote, among other things, "The US Government is killing our innocent civilians", "I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished" and "We Muslims are one body, you hurt one you hurt us all". He also downloaded bomb-making instructions from an al-Qaeda magazine and gathered online material on Islamic jihad and martyrdom. The 30-count... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1271248/boston-bombing-suspect-allegedly-wrote-anti-us-messages-inside-boat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1271248/boston-bombing-suspect-allegedly-wrote-anti-us-messages-inside-boat?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Follow @SCMP_News Thousands of runners and supporters have taken to the streets of Boston to complete a marathon that many were forced to abandon last month after bombs exploded near the finish line. A pack of runners carried three US flags and one Chinese flag, raising their arms defiantly as their feet pounded the rain-soaked pavement. Two of the victims of the twin bombing were American, and a third was a Chinese student named Lu Lingzi. The bombers are accused of killing a fourth person, an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1246491/thousands-finish-final-mile-boston-marathon-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1246491/thousands-finish-final-mile-boston-marathon-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 May 2013 04:03:42 +0000 A man is not feeling well so his doctor tells him to take antibiotics for two weeks, painkillers for three weeks and watch 15 baseball games over the next four weeks and he will be healed. Of course, it is a myth. Sports does not heal, it only distracts. But I have to remind myself of this all the time, particularly when a dose of heavy perspective is served up like the events in Boston. A city is under siege with millions in lockdown mode after three innocent people have been killed and 260... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1224769/little-distraction-can-help-healing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1224769/little-distraction-can-help-healing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 There is no denying the worth of social media in keeping us in touch and informed. In careless hands, though, it can cause panic, anguish, pain and suffering. The hacking of a news agency's Twitter account that led to a plunge in US stocks and the wrongful implication of a man in the Boston Marathon bombings put the problem sharply in focus. Users need to think twice about what they read, check where it comes from and be less compulsive about passing it on. Social media makes every user a... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1224848/news-social-media-must-be-treated-caution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1224848/news-social-media-must-be-treated-caution?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 An immigrant entrepreneur from China came out of the shadows on Friday with his harrowing tale of being carjacked at gunpoint by the Tsarnaev brothers after the Boston Marathon attacks. Identified only as Danny, 26, his story - worthy of a Hollywood thriller - filled in some of the details between the killing of an MIT campus police officer and a nocturnal shootout in which Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed. In an exclusive interview, Danny told the Boston Globe newspaper (www.bostonglobe.com) how... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1224546/boston-bombing-carjack-victim-recalls-his-night-terror?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1224546/boston-bombing-carjack-victim-recalls-his-night-terror?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Apr 2013 04:33:57 +0000 A Chinese entrepreneur has told an American newspaper how Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev stopped his car on the night of the deadly shoot-out with police, uttering the words 'Don't be stupid', before carjacking the vehicle. The man, who did not want his surname known and was identified only as Danny, recounted to The Boston Globe the dramatic events that unfolded as his new Mercedes was parked in a residential street while he answered a text message. In New York, city... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1223742/chinese-driver-carjacked-boston-bombing-suspects-tells-his-ordeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1223742/chinese-driver-carjacked-boston-bombing-suspects-tells-his-ordeal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:03:33 +0000 The CIA asked the top US counterterrorism agency to add the deceased Boston bombing suspect to a terror watchlist more than a year before the attacks, officials said on Wednesday. The spy agency made the move after Russian officials contacted their CIA counterparts in September 2011 about concerns they had over the possible terror ties of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who was killed during a shootout with police last week. Tsarnaev’s younger brother Dzhokhar, 19, has been charged with federal terror... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1222620/dead-boston-bomber-terror-database?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1222620/dead-boston-bomber-terror-database?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:27:42 +0000 To follow the drama of the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers online through Twitter, Reddit, television news, police scanners and newspaper updates was to be inundated with an abundance of almost real-time information. Anyone with a computer and internet access could get a virtual view of events, blow by blow, and connect the dots, rightly or wrongly, along the way. To follow the tweets of Watertown eyewitnesses, in particular, was to be thrust into a front-row seat of a real-life movie of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1222249/beware-overzealous-response-acts-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1222249/beware-overzealous-response-acts-terrorism?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 We badly need anti-monopoly legislation I write as a former member of the Legislative Council. Throughout the history of Hong Kong, there has never been a level playing field. Under colonial rule, businesses were dominated by British hongs. Since the handover, the SAR government has continued to promote policies which have enabled a few families to control the livelihood of the majority - from real estate and electricity to telecommunications and food supplies. Hong Kong prides itself as a world... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1221670/letters-editor-april-24-2013?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1221670/letters-editor-april-24-2013?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Hundreds of students and Boston residents joined a memorial service held at Boston University to remember Chinese graduate student Lu Lingzi, who was killed in deadly explosions that struck the city's annual marathon event last week. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick also attended Monday night’s service for the 23-year-old statistics student from Shenyang, in northeastern China's Liaoning province. During the ceremony, held at the George Sherman Union, the young woman's father, cousin, and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1221420/lu-lingzi-chinese-student-killed-boston-bombings-remembered-joyful-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1221420/lu-lingzi-chinese-student-killed-boston-bombings-remembered-joyful-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2013 06:00:28 +0000 A 23-year-old Boston University graduate student from China killed in the Boston Marathon bombing has been described at her memorial service as a sweet-hearted woman who was passionate about piano, her studies and loving life. Speakers including Lu Lingzi’s father and her roommate say they will never forget the brightness she brought to their lives. Hundreds of people including Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick attended Monday night’s service hosted by the university. Lu, from Shenyang,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1221324/sweet-hearted-woman-family-pays-tribute-chinese-victim-marathon-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1221324/sweet-hearted-woman-family-pays-tribute-chinese-victim-marathon-blasts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Apr 2013 03:05:04 +0000 The bomb explosions that rocked the Boston Marathon killed three people and wounded some 180 others, and were reportedly the worst attack on US soil since the September 11 strikes. US authorities now consider the violence an act of terrorism, and identified brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the sons of Chechen refugees, as the bombers. Americans were not the only casualties of the Boston attack. Two Chinese students at Boston University who were there to watch the race also fell victim to... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1220766/use-law-not-war-tackle-terror?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1220766/use-law-not-war-tackle-terror?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 When Tamerlan Tsarnaev came to renew his passport and visit his father last year, he spent time helping remodel a room into a prospective perfume shop and apparently slept a lot, says a family friend. But the surroundings were anything but quiet. Violence that has racked the North Caucasus region for years has spread to the republic of Dagestan and reached its capital, Makhachkala, which can often seem a city under siege. Checkpoints are a common sight, as are patrolling police with body armour... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1220054/boston-bomb-suspect-tsarnaev-lived-quietly-during-6-month-dagestan-visit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1220054/boston-bomb-suspect-tsarnaev-lived-quietly-during-6-month-dagestan-visit?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 As prosecutors consider charges following the Boston Marathon bombings, the same laws used successfully in deadly terrorist acts such as the Oklahoma City outrage and the first World Trade Centre attack may be at the top of their list. Terrorism cases brought over the past 20 years show there are several federal statutes that could be applied, including counts of conspiracy to use or actual use of a weapon of mass destruction, both punishable by death. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the 19-year-old suspect... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1220050/lessons-legacy-terror?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1220050/lessons-legacy-terror?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A 30-year-old boat riddled with bullet holes and smeared with blood has become a major attraction as Boston recovers from the trauma of the deadly bomb attack on its marathon. Freed from a police order to stay in their homes, people from Watertown and further away went to see where marathon bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hid and was caught. They have been heading for Dave Henneberry's house on Franklin Street. Television crews from around the world, tourists and onlookers have been pressing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1220051/boat-where-boston-suspect-hid-becomes-macabre-tourist-attraction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1220051/boat-where-boston-suspect-hid-becomes-macabre-tourist-attraction?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Chechen is not the same as Czech. The Czech Republic is different from Chechnya. That's the simple message that the Czech government wants Americans to know in the aftermath of the bombings in the Boston Marathon, allegedly by two brothers of Chechen origin. The Czech Republic's ambassador to the United States, Petr Gandalovic, felt compelled at the weekend to clear up what he called a "most unfortunate misunderstanding" that some Americans on Twitter have been guilty of in recent days. "The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1220056/envoy-reminds-americans-chechen-not-czech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1220056/envoy-reminds-americans-chechen-not-czech?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing lay hospitalised in serious condition under heavy guard Saturday — apparently in no shape to be interrogated — as investigators tried to establish the motive for the deadly attack and the scope of the plot. People across the Boston area breathed easier the morning after Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was pulled, wounded and bloody, from a tarp-covered boat in a Watertown backyard. The capture came at the end of a tense day that began with his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1219740/boston-bomb-suspect-hospitalised-serious-condition-under-heavy-guard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1219740/boston-bomb-suspect-hospitalised-serious-condition-under-heavy-guard?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:25:54 +0000 A 34-year-old man has been arrested in Singapore over an online threat to bomb several locations in the city state in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon attack, police said yesterday. The man, whose name and nationality were not disclosed, was arrested on Thursday after making the threat as a comment on a news article about the fatal bombings in Boston, police said. "Preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had no intention or means to carry out his threats," said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1219341/man-who-posted-online-threats-bomb-singapore-arrested?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1219341/man-who-posted-online-threats-bomb-singapore-arrested?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 1. The Boston Globe Boston remembers its pain … A commitment to rise to the occasion … to remember all who suffered and lost their lives in times of strife, is written into the fabric of the city. From the Bunker Hill Monument to the Tea Party ships, Bostonians are confronted with the stoicism of those who came before them. Monday's assault on the Boston Marathon will remain in the city's memory forever … Most of those still on the course when the explosions occurred were dedicated amateurs,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1219411/how-they-see-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1219411/how-they-see-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The atrocity that hit Boston on Monday is not the first time a marathon has been targeted. In April 2008, 14 people were killed when a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber blew himself up at the start of a marathon celebrating the Sri Lankan new year, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100. Among the dead was Sri Lanka's most celebrated marathon runner, KA Karunaratne, who had competed in the 1992 Olympics and 1993 world championships. That act of violence is ranked by Time magazine as being among... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1219291/marathons-can-be-open-and-safe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1219291/marathons-can-be-open-and-safe?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Police surrounded a district where a Boston marathon suspect was believed to be hiding after a burst of automatic gunfire, media reports said. Police squads and armored personnel carriers raced to the district and police helicopters buzzed overhead after the gunfire. The Boston Globe quoted a source as saying police had 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev “pinned down.” CNN said police believed they had the suspect surrounded. WCVB television said a body had been found on a boat in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1218983/boston-bombing-suspect-believed-surrounded?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1218983/boston-bombing-suspect-believed-surrounded?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:56:36 +0000 What exactly is terrorism? People around the world instantly recognised it when two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring numerous others. But the Obama administration had to mull it over for a day before classifying the attack as terrorism. To me, terrorism is when a religious fanatic, a lunatic or a crazy youth terrorises people with bombs or assault weapons. When 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting spree last December at an elementary school in Newtown,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218511/mass-murderers-are-all-terrorists-whatever-weapon-they-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218511/mass-murderers-are-all-terrorists-whatever-weapon-they-use?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Tomorrow's London Marathon will take place amid a climate of heightened security and increased vigilance following the fatal bomb attacks that plunged the Boston Marathon in America into tragedy. The twin blasts that killed three and wounded more than 180 in Boston on Monday have prompted organisers of the London race to ramp up security measures in a bid to reassure runners and the half a million spectators expected to line the route. Extra police will patrol the course, which snakes alongside... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1218585/boston-bombings-cast-pall-over-london-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/1218585/boston-bombings-cast-pall-over-london-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 In the face of a very wrong government, after peaceful means have completely failed … the people can even revolt Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun backs Occupy Central   It really was Bruce Lee who put Hong Kong on the map. He was the one who brought Hong Kong and Hollywood together Writer Matthew Polly   I was just like, 'I can't believe this! I just want to get out of here and get away from all these explosions' Joe Berti, on experiencing the blasts in both Boston and West https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218653/who-said-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218653/who-said-it?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The Chinese student killed in the Boston Marathon blasts grew up in an intellectual family in a northeastern Chinese city with gritty, industrial roots, and graduated from a highly competitive high school that routinely sends students abroad. In Boston, where 23-year-old Lu Lingzi enrolled in graduate-level study in statistics, friends and teachers remembered her as an exceptional student and an exuberant personality who delighted in spring blossoms and culinary treats. “The word bubbly – that’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1218077/boston-bomb-victim-lu-lingzi-attended-elite-school-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1218077/boston-bomb-victim-lu-lingzi-attended-elite-school-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 02:11:11 +0000 The FBI released photos and video of two suspects in the deadly Boston Marathon bombings and asked for the public’s help in identifying the men. The agency’s website crashed within moments on Thursday. FBI Agent Richard DesLauriers said the images are from surveillance cameras near the explosion sites shortly before Monday’s blasts at the world’s most famous marathon. The men are seen walking together in the crowd, and the man in the white cap is seen setting down a backpack at one site near... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1218070/fbi-releases-images-2-men-boston-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1218070/fbi-releases-images-2-men-boston-marathon?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:33:09 +0000 As a parent, my heart goes out to the mother and father of Martin Richard, the eight-year-old boy who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombing. A family photo of the vibrant, smiling young boy was prominently featured in major US newspapers and some foreign publications as well. As a journalist, I understand the need to humanise a tragedy, so the victims do not become just another set of statistics. But I question why the US media rarely publish photos of children killed in Iraq and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1217788/victims-war-must-be-humanised-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1217788/victims-war-must-be-humanised-too?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 US President Barack Obama yesterday stood in solidarity with China, mourning the loss of a Chinese student who was among three people killed in the terror attack on the city's marathon. Boston University graduate student Lu Lingzi was named as one of those who died when two deadly bombs exploded near the finish line during Monday's race, injuring another 180 people. "Our prayers are with the Lu family of China who sent their daughter Lingzi here so she could experience all the city had to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1217918/obama-vows-find-boston-marathon-attackers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1217918/obama-vows-find-boston-marathon-attackers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Three Chinese friends from Boston University went to sample American life at the city’s ill-fated marathon. Lu Lingzi was killed, Zhou Danling was badly hurt and the third wonders how she survived unscathed. The whole campus has been scarred by the death of Lu, a brilliant rising mathematician, who only arrived at Boston in September, but had immediately launched into life at the prestigious institution. The three women were among hundreds of people caught in the blast of two bombs that erupted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1217269/boston-university-grieves-lu-lingzi-chinese-student-killed-bomb?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1217269/boston-university-grieves-lu-lingzi-chinese-student-killed-bomb?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2013 02:54:10 +0000 Two letters suspected of containing the deadly poison ricin and addressed to US President Barack Obama and a senator were related and bore a postmark from Memphis, Tennessee, it was revealed yesterday. An FBI intelligence bulletin said both letters were dated April 8, and contained the message: "To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance." Both letters were signed: "I am KC and approve this message". The FBI said the Obama letter contained a "granular... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1216851/us-intercepts-letter-laced-ricin-sent-obama?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1216851/us-intercepts-letter-laced-ricin-sent-obama?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A letter addressed to US President Barack Obama suspected of containing the deadly poison ricin was intercepted at a mail-screening facility outside the White House yesterday, as China mourned the death of a mainland graduate student in the Boston Marathon bombing. The interception of the Obama letter came a day after another screening site intercepted a ricin-tainted letter bound for the office of Senator Roger Wicker. While the FBI said investigations had not found a link between the letters... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1216859/poison-obama-letter-seized-china-mourns-death-student-boston?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1216859/poison-obama-letter-seized-china-mourns-death-student-boston?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:41:53 +0000 The third victim who died in the Boston Marathon bombings was identified as a Chinese citizen and a student at Boston University, the Chinese Consulate in New York said. Boston University has confirmed that one of its graduate students was killed by the blasts without identifying the victim. The family has asked that the name of the victim not be disclosed, the Chinese consulate said in a statement. Several media outlets have identified the victim as Lu Lingzi, from Shenyang, Liaoning, and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1216533/third-victim-killed-boston-marathon-bombings-identified-chinese-citizen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1216533/third-victim-killed-boston-marathon-bombings-identified-chinese-citizen?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:46:19 +0000 United States investigators yesterday stepped up their search for the attacker or attackers who devastated the Boston Marathon with two bombs that killed three people and hurt more than 170, many of whom suffered horrific injuries. Boston's Boylston Street, scene of the finishing-line carnage, remained sealed off as investigators sought leads in the worst bombing in the US since the September 11 attacks. President Barack Obama call the bombing an act of terrorism. "This was a heinous and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1216358/us-stages-massive-manhunt-boston-bomber-or-bombers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/1216358/us-stages-massive-manhunt-boston-bomber-or-bombers?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A Hong Kong runner in the Boston Marathon has told of the chaotic scenes as rescue workers tore away barriers to get to those injured by the twin blasts. Simeon Jupp, from Hong Lok Yuen, finished the 42-kilomere course and was still near the finishing line when the first bomb went off. Jupp, 49, who has lived in Hong Kong for seven years, said: "There was one large explosion no more than 200 metres from where I was standing. "It was instantly clear from the amount of debris in the air that it... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1216359/hong-kong-runners-tell-boston-marathon-carnage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1216359/hong-kong-runners-tell-boston-marathon-carnage?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The twisted mind of the perpetrator of the attack on Boston's marathon is impossible to fathom. No matter what their grievance or message, who could believe that harming children, fun-runners, athletes and spectators was an accomplishment? Yet the bombs were timed to cause the maximum loss of life, without regard for who was caught in the blasts, all in the name of making a point for which none of us will now ever care. There will never be sympathy for people who commit such acts, no matter how... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1216344/unity-will-defeat-extremists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1216344/unity-will-defeat-extremists?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 One female student from China is in a coma after suffering serious injuries in the Boston Marathon bombings, China's official Xinhua News Agency has reported quoting an unnamed official from the Chinese consulate in New York. The woman, who was named by Xinhua as Zhou Danling, is a graduate student at Boston University, the American Chinese-language newspaper Qiaobao reported. Her mother had asked for the consulate's help in facilitating her journey to the US. Boston University has confirmed on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1216037/chinese-student-coma-after-boston-marathon-bombings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1216037/chinese-student-coma-after-boston-marathon-bombings?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:10:02 +0000 I flew to Boston from Hong Kong on Saturday to combine a business trip with competing in the Boston Marathon. It was a great day – perfect weather and unbelievable crowds supporting the runners. Having started in the third wave of runners, I finished at 2.41pm, crossed the finish line then took my time picking up some water and resting. Before I had a chance to move along, there was a large explosion no more than 200 metres from where I was standing. My first thought was that it might be... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1215979/hong-kong-runner-tells-dark-day-boston-finishing-line?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1215979/hong-kong-runner-tells-dark-day-boston-finishing-line?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:41:55 +0000