President Barack Obama received briefings overnight from his top counter-terrorism adviser on the deadly mayhem in Boston and Watertown, the White House said Friday.
“The President continued to be briefed overnight by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco about developments in the investigation as well as the events in Boston and Watertown, MA,” an official said in a statement emailed to reporters.
The official did not return a request for information on whether the White House had tightened security around the presidential mansion compound either because of the violence in Boston or because of the anniversaries of the deadly end of the FBI siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX, on this day in 1993 or the Oklahoma City bombing two years later.
One of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing was dead and another on the run after a late-night police chase and shootout, according to law-enforcement authorities. One police officer was killed and another was seriously wounded.
At sunrise, Gov. Deval Patrick ordered a shutdown of all public transit and residents on the edges of Boston to stay indoors as a massive manhunt for the second suspect was underway.
“This is situation is grave and we are trying to protect the public safety,” said Massachusetts State Police Col. Timothy Alben.
Federal agents swarmed neighboring Watertown after local police were involved in a car chase and shootout with the men identified Thursday by the FBI as Suspect 1 and Suspect 2. During the pursuit, officers could be heard on police radio traffic describing the men as having handguns, grenades and other explosives.
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