BOSTON – U.S. officials are denying that a suspect is in custody in the Boston Marathon bombings.
A law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Wednesday a suspect was in custody.
But the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston said no arrests had been made.
Since initial reports of an arrest, CNN and other media outlets have reported conflicting information ranging from the arrest of a suspect to a denial that a suspect had been taken into custody.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. ET, the Boston Police tweeted that, “Despite reports to the contrary there has not been an arrest in the Marathon attack.”
The 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 converged at the courthouse, and reporters have since been asked to move away from the courthouse after it was evacuated due to a bomb threat.
Several media outlets reported that a suspect had been identified from surveillance video taken at a Lord & Taylor department store between the sites of Monday’s two bomb blasts, which killed three people and wounded more than 170. The dead included a child, a young woman and a female student from China.
A news briefing was scheduled later Wednesday.
“Contrary to widespread reporting, there have been no arrests made in connection with the Boston Marathon attack,” the FBI said in a statement. “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. 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.”
With files from Global News
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