[I cannot think of a name]

All good stuff, but I would offer a few cautions -

- There are lots of sick morons out there playing around with Photshop. Unless you know the person that took the picture and downloaded it from their camera yourself - once it has floated around the Internet no telling what's been done to it.

- In ANY gathering with a lot of 20 somethings, you will find tons of backpacks. I don't know if they just have a need to carry more stuff with them, of if it has become a fashion accessory. Personally, when I left the military I swore there would never be another freaking backpack on my back, and there hasn't been one since! But anybody under 30 with a backpack is definitely NOT unusual.

[AppyPappy]

I carry one all the time because of my laptop.

[mnehring]

Good point

[Labyrinthos]

In ANY gathering with a lot of 20 somethings, you will find tons of backpacks. I don't know if they just have a need to carry more stuff with them, of if it has become a fashion accessory. Personally, when I left the military I swore there would never be another freaking backpack on my back, and there hasn't been one since! But anybody under 30 with a backpack is definitely NOT unusual.

I absolutely expect hundreds of people to carry backpacks near the finish line of the world's most famous marathon that contain clothing, food, liquid refreshments, and personal items for friends and relatives who are running in the race. I also expect to see hundreds of other spectators carrying backpacks containing food, water, outerwear, etc., given the fact that many people who travel to central Boston for the marathon, Red Sox game, and other Patriot Day festivities are there for the day and travel by train or have to park a long distance away from the events. As for the guys who seemed focused away from the race, maybe they were ogling a pretty lady in a short skirt (or burka). Nevertheless, even the most benign clues are worth extra scrutiny.

[Hot Tabasco]

Given the size of the pressure cooker I have and the amount of ball bearings and nails and explosives it would take to fill it up, there's no way two of them would fit in a typical back pack. And each pot was likely around 20 lbs........

So that means they either have to be looking for a guy carrying two backpacks , each of which he casually drops in a strategic location, or there are two individuals they should be searching for...........

[Hot Tabasco]

And as a follow up to my previous post, if it was one guy with one backpack containing TWO pressure cookers, as an average pedestrian, I certainly would have remembered seeing a guy take a pressure cooker out of his pack and leave it on the sidewalk and continue walking.

Likewise, if I saw a guy with TWO backpacks walking and he took one off and laid it on the sidewalk and kept walking, I would remember that too.........

With that being said, I suspect the authorities in charge have a hell of a lot more information than the "Mis"information that is being given to us by the MSM.......

[tbw2]

When you live by the internet, you need a backpack to carry your laptop around. And you can carry lunch, drinks, etc.

[Ophiucus]

Plus Boston is a university town. I would expect to see many backpacks.