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FBI Focuses On Photos For Clues To Marathon Bomber

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And let's turn to another community that is trying to recover. In Boston this hour, a memorial service is underway for victims of Monday's bombing at the Boston Marathon. President Obama is in attendance. Now, the investigation into the bombing is in its fourth day, and the FBI is saying very little about its progress so far. We do know investigators are examining photos and videos and testing physical evidence they recovered from the scene of the deadly explosions. But still, we cannot answer to key questions: Who did this, and why?

NPR's Jeff Brady filed this report.

JEFF BRADY, BYLINE: For much of Wednesday, it looked like authorities were preparing to make a big announcement. They planned a 5 o'clock news conference that was delayed. Finally, at 8 o'clock, Steve McDonald with the Boston Fire Department announced this...

STEVE MCDONALD: There is no press conference tonight by anyone, and it has not been rescheduled.

BRADY: Without any official news, speculation was rampant. The Boston Police Department issued a tweet that read: Despite reports to the contrary, there has not been an arrest in the marathon attack. One of the few public officials who did talk Wednesday was Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy. He told the Associated Press that the Boston police briefed him.

STEPHEN MURPHY: One of the department stores down on Boylston Street submitted a video system, which has confirmed that a suspect is seen dropping a bag near the point of the second explosion and heading off.

BRADY: Murphy praised investigators for quickly chasing down leads, but beyond him, no official sources would confirm anything about the investigation. New information was released about the third person who died from the explosions. Her name is Lu Lingzi. She was a Chinese citizen and a graduate student at Boston University. The school's Chinese Student and Scholars Association held a memorial for Lu. The vice president of the association, Billy Gu, says she was missing after the blast, and students - many of whom didn't even know Lu - spent two days looking for her.

BILLY GU: Many of our student group members went all over Boston, around all hospitals, looking for names, any sign.

BRADY: But then the bad news came, confirming Lu had been killed. Shuang Guo is president of the association.

SHUANG GUO: This girl is just like us, you know. We're international students studying abroad and, you know, we have our families waiting for us back home.

BRADY: Around campus, there are resources for people affected by the Boston Marathon explosion.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

BRADY: At the Marsh Chapel, theology school student Shawn Fiedler used a regular Wednesday service to comfort those in the pews.

SHAWN FIEDLER: Something is different. Something has changed us, and we are in shock.

BRADY: Campus chaplains are offering their services to students. Bob Hill is the dean of Marsh Chapel.

BOB HILL: Sometimes people will simply come into the chapel and sit and decompress and place their immediate loss and grief in the context of a gothic knave, with Indiana limestone.

BRADY: Hill says some find comfort just being in such an historic building. Jeff Brady, NPR News, Boston.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

There was an emotional moment at Boston's TD Garden last night. At the Garden, the NHL's Boston Bruins hosted the Buffalo Sabres in the city's first sporting event since the marathon bombings on Monday.

GREENE: Both teams were wearing Boston Strong decals on their helmets as they lined up for the National Anthem. Then singer Rene Rancourt began the "Star Spangled Banner" the same way he has at Bruin games for more than 35 years.

RENE RANCOURT: (Singing) Oh, say can you see...

INSKEEP: But then Rancourt gave way, putting down his mic and letting the fans finish the job...

RANCOURT: (Singing) ...light, what so proudly we...

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Singing) ...proudly we hail, as the twilight's last gleaming. Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight, o'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly...

INSKEEP: It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Jeff Brady is a National Desk Correspondent based in Philadelphia, where he covers energy issues and climate change. Brady helped establish NPR's environment and energy collaborative which brings together NPR and Member station reporters from across the country to cover the big stories involving the natural world.

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