Boston suspect Id'd? The Boston Police Department denied that a suspect was arrested in the Boston Marathon attack.
“Despite reports to the contrary there has not been an arrest in the Marathon attack,” the police department tweeted on Wednesday afternoon, around an hour after CNN, Reuters, The Associated Press, and other media outlets said that a suspect was arrested after being identified via video surveillance footage.
CNN updated its report in saying that there was a misunderstanding among high-level officials, adding that no one was arrested.
Officials told CNN earlier there was “substantial” progress in the case.
The Boston Globe earlier reported that it had an image of the suspect possibly carrying or dropping off a black bag near the scene of the bombing outside the Forum restaurant, where the second bomb detonated.
A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Wednesday a suspect was in custody.
A federal official who spoke to The Associated Press did so on condition of anonymity and stood by the information even after it was disputed.
The official was not authorized to divulge details of the investigation. The official had said the suspect was expected in federal court in Boston.
Reporters and police have converged at the courthouse.
But the FBI said in an official statement that “contrary to widespread reporting,” no arrest has been made.
“Over the past day and a half, there have been a number of press reports based on information from unofficial sources that has been inaccurate,” the statement reads. “Since these stories often have unintended consequences, we ask the media, particularly at this early stage of the investigation, to exercise caution and attempt to verify information through appropriate official channels before reporting.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
