At least two people have been killed and up to 100 people have been injured after two large bombs went off near the finish line of the famous Boston Marathon today, leaving behind a scene of carnage.
The FBI is now classifying this afternoon's horrific bombings as a terrorist attack. One of the victims has been confirmed as a three-year-old child.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said at an afternoon press conference that there was a third, uncontrolled explosion at the JFK Library which was believed to be an electrical fire.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. More pictures after the cut.....
This image shows the two separate explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon
A still from NBC shows one explosion at the Boston Marathon
A second explosion goes off (rear) as a runner was blown to the ground by the first explosion near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon
Police officers with their guns drawn hear the second explosion down the street. The first explosion knocked down a runner at the finish line
A second explosion goes off (rear) as a runner was blown to the ground by the first explosion
Eyewitnesses at the scene said there were two loud explosions about five seconds apart, and emergency vehicles crowded the scene.
Witness Dave Weigel said via Twitter minutes after the explosion: ‘I saw people’s legs blown off. Horrific. Two explosions. Runners were coming in and saw unspeakable horror.'
Police told the Boston Globe that are they still finding 'secondary devices,' and pleading with anyone still in the area to leave at once. A controlled explosion was set for outside the city library.
A source who was speaking with authorities told MailOnline that there were shotgun shells in two explosions, which sprayed onlookers and runners with massive amounts of shrapnel, though the statement has not been confirmed by authorities.
CBS News reports that police are now looking at surveillance video showing someone carrying multiple backpacks into the area about 20 minutes before explosions. Additionally, a shadowy figure was captured on CCTV around 20 minutes before the two blasts.
One witness said 'there was blood everywhere.'
CNN revealed that families from last December's Newtown tragedy were at the scene, though none of them were reported injured.
Boston’s Lenox Hotel that serves as the headquarters for the Boston Marathon was locked down on Monday after a security incident near the finish line. Two blasts were heard by reporters in the media center.
Map of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, locates the area near the Boston Marathon finish line where two explosions erupted about five hours after the race began
An injured man lays on the ground following the explosions
A Twitter user posted this picture of JFK Library after an explosive device detonated; the police commissioner said that no injuries had been reported
President Obama talks on the phone in the Oval Office today with FBI Director Robert Mueller and was seated with Lisa Monaco, head of Homeland Security, and Chief of Staff Denis McDonough and was briefed on the attack
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis speaks about the explosions during a press conference as Massachusetts Gov Deval Patrick, right, looks on this afternoon
closed off the finish line and urged anyone in the area to stay away from trash bins.
In response to the attacks, both the White House and New York's Times Square were given extra security measures. The White House released in a statement that President Obama received a briefing from Homeland Security advisor Lisa Monaco and other members of his staff in the Oval Office.
'The president called Boston Mayor Tom Menino and expressed his concern for those who were injured and to make clear that his administration is ready to provide needed support as they respond to this incident.'
House Speaker John Boehner is expected to lead a moment of silence in the House from the Speaker’s chair for the victims of the Boston bombing at around 6:30pm EST, and the president is expected to speak at 6:10pm EST.
Andrea Storer, who witnessed the blast, told the Boston Globe: 'It was huge. There had to be people killed. There had to be'
NECN reporter Jackie Bruno posted on Twitter: 'I saw people's legs blown off. Horrific. Two explosions. Runners were coming in and saw unspeakable horror.
Cherie Falgoust was waiting for her husband, who was running the race.
A Boston police officer wheels in injured boy down Boylston Street as medical workers carry an injured runner
Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston
Medical workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following the two explosions
Two explosions went off near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon today
An aerial shot shows the scene of carnage at the finish line
Emergency workers aid injured people at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon following an explosion in Boston
'I was expecting my husband any minute," she said. "I don't know what this building is ... it just blew. Just a big bomb, a loud boom, and then glass everywhere. Something hit my head. I don't know what it was. I just ducked."
The White House says President Barack Obama has been notified about the explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
The White House says the administration is in contact with state and local authorities and directed his administration to provide whatever assistance is necessary in the investigation and response.
Vice President Joe Biden was on a conference call with gun control activists when staffers turned on televisions in his office Monday to view coverage of the explosions. Biden said during the call that his prayers were with those who suffered injuries.
Vice President Joe Biden has released a statement regarding the Boston Marathon bombings.
A couple embrace near the finish line area
Medical workers aid an injured man at the 2013 Boston Marathon
A person who was injured in an explosion near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon is taken away from the scene on a stretcher
People panic and run after the explosions occurred at the finishing line
Runners who had not finished the race were stopped before the Massachusetts Avenue overpass on Commonwealth Avenue
'Our prayers are with those people in Boston who have suffered injuries. I don’t know how many there are.'
A woman on the ground is covered in dirt and blood and looks on in shock as she is surrounded by a scene of carnage
State and local officials told CNN's John King that there was no known credible threat prior to the explosions.
The marathon said in a statement: 'There were two bombs that exploded near the finish line in today's Boston Marathon. We are working with law enforcement to understand what exactly has happened.'
Competitors and race organizers were crying as they fled the chaos. Bloody spectators were being carried to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. A man was pictured with his lower leg blown off with his tibia and fibula exposed.
As people wailed in agony, bloody spectators were carried to a medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners.
'They just started bringing people in with no limbs,' said Tim Davey, of Richmond, Va. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to keep their children's eyes shielded from the gruesome scene, but 'they saw a lot.'
'They just started bringing people in with no limbs,' said Tim Davey, of Richmond, Va. He said he and his wife, Lisa, tried to keep their children's eyes shielded from the gruesome scene, but 'they saw a lot.'
'They just kept filling up with more and more casualties,' Lisa Davey said. 'Most everybody was conscious. They were very dazed.'
Some 23,000 runners took part in the 26.2-mile race, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious marathons. One of Boston's biggest annual events, the race winds up near Copley Square, not far from the landmark Prudential Center and the Boston Public Library.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis asked people to stay indoors or go back to their hotel rooms and avoid crowds as bomb squads checked parcels and bags left along the race route.
The Federal Aviation Administration barred low-flying aircraft from within 3.5 miles of the site.
'There are people who are really, really bloody,' said Laura McLean, a runner from Toronto, who was in the medical tent being treated for dehydration when she was pulled out to make room for victims.
A man is loaded into an ambulance after he was injured by one of two bombs exploded during the 117th Boston Marathon near Copley Square on April 15, 2013
Emergency personnel respond to the scene
A person who was injured in an explosion near the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon is taken away from the scene in a wheelchair
About four hours into the race and two hours after the men's winner crossed the line, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another explosion could be heard a few seconds later.
By that point, more than 17,000 of the runners had finished the race, but thousands of others were farther back along the course.
The Boston Police Department said two people were killed. Hospitals reported at least 57 injured, at least eight of them critically.
A senior U.S. intelligence official said the two other explosive devices found nearby were being dismantled. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the findings publicly.
'There are a lot of people down,' said one man, whose bib No. 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter of North Carolina.
He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg.
A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding.
Justine Franco of Montpelier, Vermont, holds up a sign near Copley Square in Boston looking for her missing friend, April, who was running in her first Boston Marathon
An unidentified Boston Marathon runner leaves the course crying near Copley Square
About three hours after the winners crossed the line, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another thunderous explosion could be heard a few seconds later.
Runner Laura McLean of Toronto told the Associated Press that she heard two explosions outside the medical tent.
'There are people who are really, really bloody,' McLean said. 'They were pulling them into the medical tent.'
An explosion rocked the finish line of the Boston Marathon where dozens of people have been reported seriously injured
Police officers rushed to the scene as smoke billowed; up to 60 people could be injured from the blast
Medical workers wheel the injured across the finish line
The two explosions went off within seconds of each other near Boston's Copley Square and the finish line of the race in the city's Back Bay neighborhood
The grandstands were empty as authorities work though the chaos of the scene
Steven Saurbier, who saw the explosion’s aftermath from his window, told The New York Observer: ‘It shook my building, we’re about 100 yards down the street. I figured it was a cannon, or some giant confetti blast, or something planned for the Marathon.
'Then a second blast went off–much larger–and it rattled the whole building.
‘There was a large cloud of white smoke and people were running from the blast site. Police swarmed immediately, they removed one or two people after patting them down. There were a lot of injured people … I estimate 20 people were medically transported. … I saw a woman being carried by two men and I am almost positive her left leg was blown off at the knee.'
All off-duty Boston police officers have been called in to work following the blasts.
A spokesman for the Boston Marathon said that the race's headquarters are on lock down.
Train service on the green line between Kenmore and Park suspended, according to the MBTA.
Windows of Marathon sports store blown out by the force of the two blasts.
Have a friend running the marathon? Check out this site to find their most recent checkpoint. Additionally, families looking for loved ones should call 617-635-4500. Anyone with info about explosions should call 1800-494-TIPS
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