Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Governor Deval L. Patrick, and One Fund Boston said today that they are calling upon Boston and all communities across Massachusetts to join together in a Moment of Silence Monday afternoon, exactly one week following the Boston Marathon bombings.

The minute of silence will take place at 2:50 p.m. to honor the victims of the attacks and their families. It will be followed by the ringing of bells throughout Boston and the Commonwealth.

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Mayor Menino and Governor Patrick said through a spokesperson they are “humbled by the support shown by the public and the business community, and they continue to encourage everyone to visit onefundboston.org to make a donation to help the victims of this tragedy.”

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After a violent, grueling week, investigators have yet to charge 19-year-old terror suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev following his arrest Friday for allegedly carrying out last week’s deadly Boston Marathon bombings.

Investigators said today Dzhokhar and his brother Tamarlen Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed in a shootout Thursday night, were likely planning to launch more violent attacks following Monday’s attack, as investigators discovered an arsenal of deadly weaponry in their possession.

However evidence suggests that the brothers acted alone, and that the city is safe.

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Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said at a press event today that he’s “satisfied there are no explosive devices in the area of Boylston Street,” but said Tsarnaev, who is suspected of killing three and injuring more than 180 people last Monday, was in no condition to be interrogated.

Davis said earlier police discovered at least four unexploded devices including one similar to the two pressure cooker bombs packed with nails and ball bearing used in the twin blasts Monday.

Tsarnaev was arrested Friday night following a 24-hour manhunt and lock down. He was ultimately found hiding in a boat in a Watertown driveway after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. Tamerlan died the night before during a shootout with police that left behind roughly 250 spent shells.

Davis said Tsarnaev is in “critical but stable condition,” at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where a number of bombing victims have also been treated.

A senior law enforcement official confirmed to NBC that Tsarnaev is suffering from a wound to his throat that has left him unable to talk, and Gov. Deval Patrick on Saturday backed up that claim, saying Tsarnaev was “unable to communicate.”

A source close to the investigation told Reuters he had tongue damage.

There is a special interrogation team from the FBI that is standing by to talk to him, Davis said, but as of deadline tday that hadn’t happened.

Federal prosecutors prepared criminal charges yesterday, which could be brought forth today.

The ethnic Chechens came to the United States 10 years ago. Their parents, who moved back to southern Russia, have said their sons were framed.

A man who calls himself the suspects’ father, Anzor Tsarnaev, said Friday that Dzhokhar is “a true angel,” and told the Associated Press, “They were set up, they were set up… I saw it on television; they killed my older son Tamerlan.” He also said he wanted the judicial system to “investigate everything, who’s right and who’s guilty.”

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Communities around Boston were put on lockdown Friday morning as authorities searched for one of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings. 

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Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, the man the FBI labeled “Suspect 1″ in the investigation, was killed by law enforcement officers during a shootout overnight, according Reuters.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, designated as “Suspect 2,” is still on the run and remains a serious threat. The two suspects were reportedly brothers from Chechnya.

Reuters was providing a live Twitter feed of developments in the case, as was Metro Boston.

Around 10:20 Thursday night, an MIT police officer was shot and killed on campus, the Middlesex County District Attorney said in a statement. An MBTA officer was critically hurt.

A short time later, police received reports of a carjacking by two men who kept their victim inside the car for about half an hour, the statement said.

Police pursued that car to Watertown, where explosives were thrown from the car at police and gunfire was exchanged, the statement said.

“During the exchange of the gunfire, we believe that one of the suspects was struck and ultimately taken into custody. A second suspect was able to flee from that car and there is an active search going on at this point in time,” Col. Timothy Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, told a news conference.

The first suspect died at Beth Israel Hospital. Doctors said he had gunshot wounds and “blast injuries.”

Officials urged people who live in Watertown, Newton, Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge and the Alston/Brighton neighborhoods of Boston to stay inside.

In Watertown, SWAT teams were conducting a door-to-door search. No vehicles were being allowed in or out of the community.

All MBTA service was shut down until further notice. Boston Public Schools and colleges were also closed for the day.

The post UPDATE: Brothers from Chechnya ID’d as Marathon bombing suspects; 1 dead after police shootout, other on the run appeared first on Metro.us.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation today released surveillance images of two suspects connected to the Boston Marathon bombings.

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  Video of suspects in Boston Marathon bombings

FBI Special Agent Richard DesLaurien said two men are suspected of the crime.

They appear to be associated, he said, and are referred to as Suspect 1 and Suspect 2.

Suspect 1 is wearing a dark hat, suspect two is wearing a white hat. Number two is suspected of planting the devices, he said, although the FBI does not have video of the bomb being planted.

“We strongly encourage those who were at The Forum restaurant that have not contacted us yet to do so. Suspects one and two seem to be walking together ion Boylston Street in the direction of the finish line… as you can see the quality of the photos is quite good,” DesLaurien said.

“For more than 100 years the FBI has relied on the public to be its eyes and ears… Somebody out there knows these individuals as friends, neighbors.. any bit of info no matter how small… it is extremely important to contact us with any information,” he said. “We consider them to be armed and extremely dangerous.”

No one should approach them,  and no one should attempt to apprehend them except law enforcement, he said.

The FBI established a website: Bostonmarathontips.fbi.gov, which crashed shortly after the bureau’s televised announcement.

“The horror of that day will remain with us forever,” DesLaurien said.

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Although the Associated Press reported today that an arrest has been made based on two different video images of the Boston Marathon bombings suspect, Reuters is reporting that no suspect is in custody.

An official transmission over all Boston Police scanner channels today said that to their knowledge, no arrests have been made in connection to the bombings. FBI officials, however, have neither confirmed nor denied the arrest.

At 1 p.m. CNN’s John King said a “dark-skinned male” had been identified in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings, although investigators had yet to publicly confirm the development.

The Associated Press said at 1:40 p.m. that “an arrest was imminent” and that the suspect would immediately be taken to court.

King said that videos and photos taken at the scene had helped to identify the suspect.

Law investigators confirmed the development was “a game-changer.”

Another source told King the breakthrough came from videos taken near Lord & Taylor, near the explosion site.

Video turned over by a Boston TV station was also helpful, according to King, offering a “very clear” facial image.

The potential breakthrough has yet to be confirmed by the FBI, however a media briefing that was expected at 1:30 p.m. has been rescheduled until later this afternoon.

Stay with Metro as this story develops.

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The post (UPDATE) Conflicting reports over whether a Boston Marathon bomb suspect is in custody appeared first on Metro.us.

President Barack Obama will visit Boston’s South End Thursday morning to speak at an interfaith memorial service at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, and will be joined by First Lady Michelle Obama.

The service is meant to honor the victims of Monday’s brutal Boston Marathon bombings, which Obama has described as an act of terror.

Gov. Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas M. Menino first announced Obama’s visit during a media briefing Tuesday afternoon.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said he did not know yet whether Obama would visit any of the injured victims or tour the bombing site while in Boston.

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The post (UPDATE) President Obama to speak at interfaith service at South End cathedral in Boston, First Lady to attend appeared first on Metro.us.

In the wake of the attack that killed three people and injured more than 180 others at the Boston Marathon on Monday, New Yorkers are unsurprisingly anxious, reporting three times as many suspicious packages than usual.

About 77 suspicious packages were reported in the 24-hour period following Monday’s blasts, the New York Post reports. New Yorkers report an average of 21 suspicious packages on a normal day.

“It’s not an overreaction, people are just concerned,” a source told the Post.

A section of LaGuardia Airport was evacuated Tuesday morning because of a suspicious object that turned out to be a light fixture left on the floor with wires hanging out of it.

An elementary school in Long Island was evacuated because of a bomb threat, the Post reports. No bomb was found. And a commercial building in Chelsea was also evacuated because of a suspicious box, which turned out to be empty.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said there are no specific threats against New York City. Still, police presence is strong around the city as the investigation into the Boston attack continues.

The post More suspicious packages reported in NYC after Boston attack appeared first on Metro.us.

Investigators said that two bombs that tore through the crowd at the Boston Marathon finish line Monday may have been fashioned out of shrapnel-filled pressure cookers that were transported in black nylon backpacks.

Boston doctors treating the wounded told reporters today that several of the victims were maimed by what appeared to be pieces of plastic and metal. The fragments were removed during surgery, and turned over to authorities.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Richard DesLauriers, who is heading up the investigation, said the pressure cooker bombs may have also contained ball bearings and nails.

As of this evening, no one had taken responsibility for the bombings, and investigators had made no arrests in connection with the attack, which killed three people and injured more than 170. The explosions happened around 2:50 p.m. Monday near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, on Boylston Street.

Authorities said they had received more than 2,000 tips as of noon, many of which were reviewed by 5 p.m.

“The investigation in its infancy. We will thoroughly review each and every piece of evidence,” DesLaurier said, also pleading with the public to provide more information.

The FBI is looking for people who might have seen or heard suspicious activity, including someone carrying a dark, heavy bag near the site of the blasts before the explosions. DesLaurier asked people to inform investigators if they heard any noises similar to an explosion in the days before the attack, as they may indicate a practice blast, and also if anyone overheard discussions a possible attack on the Boston Marathon.

“The range of suspects and motives remains wide open. We’re asking for tips from anyone who may target the event,” he said.

Forensic experts are reconstructing the suspected explosive devices at an FBI lab in Virginia to determine its components. More information is expected during a media briefing this afternoon, but in the meantime DesLaurier asked the public to “remain alert.”

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined officials at the briefing this evening, commending civilians and emergency respondents for their assistance.

“We are Boston. We are one community and we will not let terror take us over,” he said.

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The post The biggest question in Boston remains: Who did it? appeared first on Metro.us.

An 8-year-old boy killed in the attack on the Boston Marathon was being mourned Monday night in Dorchester, a neighborhood in Boston.

Martin Richard, 8, was killed in one of the two explosions that hit the finish line area of the marathon Monday afternoon. The child’s mother and sister were badly injured in the attack.

In a statement issued through a spokesman Tuesday, Martin’s father Bill Richard said, “My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries.

“We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin. We also ask for your patience and for privacy as we work to simultaneously grieve and recover. Thank you.”

Locals gathered at Dorchester’s Tavolo restaurant last night to grieve the loss.

City Councillor at Large Ayanna Presely told boston.com that the community was supporting the family: “They are beloved by this community. They contribute in many ways. That’s why you see this outpouring. It’s surreal, it’s tragic, it’s incomprehensible. Everyone here tonight is trying to comfort one another and be prayerful.”

Martin’s father Bill is reported to be a community leader in the Ashmont section of Dorchester. It is understood that a third child of the family was unhurt.

Early this morning the death toll from Monday’s atrocity was three, with as many as 170 people injured, at least 17 of them critically.

Walking toward the Boston Marathon finish line this afternoon was a strange and unsettling sight: a mix of oblivious runners who had not yet heard that twin explosions had detonated along Boylston Street, and those who witnessed the chaos but remained in the area, wandering around the littered streets.

“It happened after I crossed the finish line. I got water there was a big boom and everyone went, ‘Oh my God,’ and I turned around and there was a big black plume. A big ball of smoke and then another one,” said Jackie Fairbarren, a marathon runner from Wisconsin.

Fairbarren was visibly shaken as she clutched a heatsheet, which was wrapped loosely around her shoulders. She stood directly under a Family Meeting Area sign with tears and concern in her eyes.

“Everyone was … no one could figure out what was going on. I’m really worried about my kids. I’m waiting for them to find me. I was running faster (than them). My husband and my 15-year-old were at the spot where it went off. I’m waiting at the family area.”

Paul Horton, of Maryville, Tenn., said he crossed the finish line at 1:10 p.m., and had just stepped out of the shower at The Colonnade Boston Hotel when he heard the blasts.

“There were two booms, maybe 12 or 15 seconds apart, but pretty big blasts. I thought they were close to me but apparently it was a couple blocks down,” Horton said. “I heard all the sirens out front I thought maybe someone got hit by a car; six, eight, 10 ambulances went by the hotel. People were standing around everywhere on their phones. I have a buddy running, and tried to get to the finish line to catch him, but got turned away down there.”

A few blocks up, around 3:50 p.m., crowds of onlookers gathered near Copley Square to capture the chaos on their smartphones, despite orders from authorities to clear the area.

Onlookers take photographs of emergency vehicles at Copley Square shortly before a controlled blast. Credit: Morgan Rousseau/Metro

Within moments, a loud, deep boom bellowed through the area. Marathon officials yelled at pedestrians to run, and they did, in all different directions.

Boston Police later reported that a third blast was a controlled water canon.

At 4:30 p.m., Gov. Deval Patrick and Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis confirmed Monday’s explosions were an attack on the city, although they would not say whether it was being considered an act of terrorism.

“We’re not being definitive,” he said. “You can reach your own conclusions.”

Stay with Metro Boston as this story develops.

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The post UPDATE: Father of Boston Marathon victim Martin Richard, 8, speaks out appeared first on Metro.us.

Correction: The man is the photo above was being sought by police as a person of interest, not a suspect.

Police are searching for a man who sexually assaulted a woman early Sunday morning near City Hall Park in lower Manhattan. 

The woman was attacked at about 4:45 a.m. in the vicinity of Park Row and Beekman Street, cops said. The suspect followed the 28-year-old victim into Theatre Alley, where he pushed her to the ground and then attempted to rape her.

Nearby construction workers heard the woman scream and ran over, scaring off the suspect, the New York Post reported.

The victim was taken to an area hospital where she was listed in stable condition. Police released a surveillance photo of a man wanted for questioning Sunday night.

The post Woman sexually assaulted near City Hall Park appeared first on Metro.us.

UPDATE: 21-year-old Brooklyn resident Aidan Folan has been arrested and charged with robbery and assault, police report.

UPDATE: A law enforcement source told Metro that police have a suspect in custody right now. Charges are pending identification in a lineup by the victim.

Metro’s original story is below.

Cops are searching for a man who brutally attacked a 56-year-old woman and robbed her inside a Brooklyn subway station last month. 

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  Woman attacked, robbed inside Brooklyn subway station

The woman exited a southbound F train at the 18th Avenue station in Borough Park at approximately 2:40 a.m. on March 9, police said. The suspect is seen on surveillance video following the victim down a flight of stairs and then attacking her. He repeatedly punches her and throws her to the ground. When the woman tries to get away, the suspect gets violent with her again. He finally empties the victim’s purse, removes some items and then takes off.

The man is described as white or Hispanic, in his 20s and weighing about 150 lbs. He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweater with “Alpha Phi Delta” on the front and the word “Stugotz” above the number 27 on the back.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto Crime Stoppers’ website at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting their tips to CRIMES (274637), then enter TIP577.

The post (UPDATED) VIDEO: Woman violently attacked, robbed inside subway station appeared first on Metro.us.

A psychiatric patient at Interfaith Medical Center in Brooklyn was beaten to death Tuesday night, and another patient in the ward has been arrested for the killing, according to police.

Spence Andrews, 20, has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in the death of Conrad Delimar, 47.

Police responded to a call Tuesday about the assault just before 10 p.m. at the hospital, where they discovered Delimar unconscious and unresponsive. He had blunt force trauma to his torso and head, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Andrews and Delimar had sat down for a game of dominoes shortly before the incident, according to hospital surveillance videos, The New York Times reported.

Delimar then headed to the shower room where his body was found. It is not clear how Andrews got in and out of the locked shower room. Hospital policy only allows one patient in the room at a time, the Times reports.

A spokesman for the hospital said a staff member who was stationed outside of the room did not hear anything. Delimar’s body was discovered only when it was noticed that he was in there for a long time.

The post Patient faces murder charge in Brooklyn hospital attack appeared first on Metro.us.

(Metro File Photo)

Police are investigating after a man was stabbed and killed yesterday in the Richmond Hill section of Queens.

The victim, an unidentified male in his 30s, was stabbed in the back around 3 p.m. on Wednesday outside of 126-19 Jamaica Ave., police said. Another man, 17, was hit in the shoulder with a rock. The first victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The second victim refused medical attention.

Police said they believe the men were walking in front of the location when a group of men attacked them. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

The post Police investigate man stabbed to death in Queens appeared first on Metro.us.

Police are investigating after a man attacked a woman who was walking in Battery Park just after midnight on Thursday.

The woman, 40, was walking in the park near the Bowling Green subway station when she was grabbed from behind and held in a choke hold, according to sources. The man grabbed at her pants, but the victim was able to fight off her attacker. She was not seriously injured.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his early 20s.

The post Woman attacked in Battery Park appeared first on Metro.us.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein said Petraeus was willing to testify about the September 11 attack in Benghazi, but the timing had not yet been decided, a spokesman for the California Democrat said.

U.S. lawmakers are demanding to know more about the timeline of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe into Petraeus’ affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

Representative Lamar Smith, the Texas Republican who heads the House Judiciary Committee, wrote the head of the FBI asking for both a timeline and whether Petraeus is the focus of a criminal probe.

“Has the FBI concluded that General Petraeus is not the subject of any criminal or intelligence-related investigation?” Smith asked in the letter.

Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, speaking in Perth, Australia, warned against jumping to conclusions over the actions of another military figure, Marine General John Allen, a day after placing him under investigation in connection with the Petraeus scandal.

Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, who denies any wrongdoing, is being investigated for potentially inappropriate communications with a woman at the center of the Petraeus case, Jill Kelley, a Florida socialite.

Panetta defended his decision to refer the case to the Pentagon’s inspector general and for suspending Allen’s nomination to another top position in the U.S. military, saying it was a prudent step “until we determine what the facts are.”

“And we will,” Panetta told reporters at high-level talks in Perth, also attended by the top U.S. military officer, General Martin Dempsey, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

At the same time, he praised Allen’s work commanding the Afghan war effort, a position he retains despite the probe.

“No one should leap to any conclusions here. General Allen is doing an excellent job at ISAF, in leading those forces,” Panetta said, referring to the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.

“He certainly has my continued confidence to lead our forces and continue the fight.”

Clinton acknowledged that allies had raised questions about the Allen case but said there was “no concern whatsoever being expressed to us” about the mission in Afghanistan.

Defense officials and people close to Petraeus say neither he nor Allen had a romantic relationship with Kelley, a 37-year-old wife and mother, who is described as a prominent presence in military circles in Tampa.

She may have been seen as a rival by Broadwell, who sent Kelley a series of anonymous, harassing emails which touched off an investigation that uncovered evidence of an affair between Petraeus and Broadwell, according to a law enforcement source.

FBI investigators decided to pursue the matter when they found the messages contained information about the CIA chief’s activities that was not publicly available, law enforcement officials said.

Kelley had gotten to know both Petraeus and Allen as a volunteer setting up social events at MacDill Air Force Base outside Tampa, headquarters of U.S. Central Command.

The relationship was evidently close enough that both men intervened in a child custody battle involving Kelley’s twin sister, Natalie Khawam.

“She is a dedicated mother, whose only focus is to provide the necessary support, love, and care for her son,” Allen wrote about Khawam in a September 22 letter to a Washington, D.C., court.

Allen and Kelley communicated often enough over the past two years to produce between 20,000 and 30,000 pages of email and other messages, which were turned over to Defense Department investigators on Sunday.

The actual volume of communications is likely much smaller, an official said, as the printouts include messages involving other people and email threads including prior communications.

A senior defense official told Reuters the messages were seen as inappropriate because they were “flirtatious” in nature, not because they dealt with sensitive information.

But “flirtatious” may be an understatement. Another U.S. official said the Pentagon only decided to refer it for investigation after an initial look found the communications to be of “a sufficient character” to warrant further review.

Allen has denied that he and Kelley had a sexual relationship, officials said on condition of anonymity. Adultery can lead to a dishonorable discharge under U.S. military law.

WHITE HOUSE BACKS ALLEN

The scandal complicates President Barack Obama’s efforts to reorganize his national security team following his re-election. The White House said it still had faith in Allen, but acknowledged that its plans to transfer him to Europe, where he would head U.S. and allied forces, have been suspended.

Obama also has to find a replacement for Petraeus at the CIA at a time when the president is vetting candidates to head the State and Defense departments.

The scandal could throw a wrench into Obama’s relations with Congress at a time when he is engaging in high-stakes budget negotiations to avoid the combination of tax increases and spending cuts known as the “fiscal cliff.”

“I certainly wouldn’t call it welcome,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said of the scandal.

Both Allen and the official due to replace him in Afghanistan, Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before they can take up their new posts.

Lawmakers on the Senate Armed Services Committee said they would go ahead with a confirmation hearing for Dunford on Thursday. Allen’s appearance was canceled.

Allen had just submitted recommendations on what role the United States should play in Afghanistan after most American combat troops withdraw by the end of 2014.

FBI agents searched Broadwell’s Charlotte, North Carolina, home late on Monday in a sign that the case involving Petraeus was not fully closed.

U.S. officials have said recently that their investigation was largely complete and that prosecutors had determined it was unlikely they would bring charges in that case, which started when Kelley contacted an FBI agent in Tampa.

That FBI agent, who has not been identified, came under scrutiny himself after it was discovered he had sent shirtless photographs of himself to Kelley “long before” this investigation, a law enforcement official told Reuters.

The agent, who alerted an FBI cyber squad to the Broadwell case, apparently became frustrated at the pace of the investigation and complained to a member of Congress about it, the official said.

The post Petraeus agrees to testify to Congress on Benghazi attack appeared first on Metro.us.

“I take responsibility” for what happened on September 11, Clinton said in an interview with CNN during a visit to Peru, adding that President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden would not be responsible for specific security instructions for U.S. diplomatic facilities.

“I’m in charge of the State Department’s 60,000-plus people all over the world,” Clinton said.

“The president and the vice president wouldn’t be knowledgeable about specific decisions that are made by security professionals. They’re the ones who weigh all of the threats and the risks and the needs and make a considered decision.”

Clinton’s comments followed stepped-up criticism of the Obama administration over the Benghazi attack, which Republican presidential challenger Mitt Romney has sought to use to dent Obama’s foreign policy credibility before the November 6 election.

Republicans in particular have focused on the Obama administration’s shifting explanations for the attack, which Clinton said in two separate television interviews on Monday were the result of “the fog of war.”

“Remember, this was an attack that went on for hours,” Clinton told Fox News. “There had to be a lot of sorting out. … Everyone said, here’s what we know, subject to change.”

The administration initially attributed the violence to protests over an anti-Islam film and said it was not premeditated. Obama and other officials have since said the incident was a terrorist attack.

“POLITICAL GOTCHA”

The Benghazi assault, and the Obama administration’s response, has become a contentious election issue and Clinton’s comments came a day before the second presidential debate.

“What I want to avoid is some kind of political ‘gotcha’ or blame game going on,” Clinton told CNN.

“I know that we’re very close to an election. I want to just take a step back here and say from my own experience, we are at our best as Americans when we pull together. I’ve done that with Democratic presidents and Republican presidents.”

Romney has accused the administration of not providing adequate security to American diplomats and misrepresenting the nature of the attack, which resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

Romney’s criticisms have sought to undercut the foreign policy record of Obama, who has been praised for the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the withdrawal of troops from unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Those attacks sharpened after last week’s vice presidential debate, when Vice President Joe Biden said “we did not know” of requests by U.S. diplomats on the ground in Libya for more security – a statement that contradicted testimony given two days earlier by State Department officials at a congressional hearing.

Clinton told the networks that Obama and Biden had not been involved in security decisions related to the consulate.

“The decisions about security are made by security professionals. But we’re going to review everything to be sure we’re doing what needs to be done in an increasingly risky environment,” Clinton said.

Congress has increased pressure on the State Department to release information about the attack. Obama and Clinton have both vowed a full investigation.

The post Clinton: ‘I take responsibility’ for Benghazi appeared first on Metro.us.

+10 Fine lady: Husband sets up rape, wife has none of it

An Idaho man is facing charges of soliciting men to rape his wife. The tool of choice: the “casual encounters” section of Craigslist. There was an episode of The Closer where this happened, but on TV…the poor girl was raped.

Not in Twin Falls, Idaho, though.

When the men came to the house to have their way with a woman with rape fantasies, they had another thing waiting for them.

Police were called to the woman’s home shortly after midnight Thursday, and again Saturday afternoon, to reports that men had broken into the house.

The first man fled when the woman’s handgun went off during a struggle.

She held the second man at gunpoint until police arrived.

Texas man finds stolen car 42 years later

Bob Russell had long given up on the hope of being reunited with his car. Can you blame him?

The 1967 Austin-Healey had been stolen outside of his Philly apartment more than 40 years ago.

But thanks to the Internet and some creative police work, Russell has his car back.

Russell was a graduate student at Temple University when his car disappeared. He’s spent years yearning for his pride and joy…but with no luck. Until recently.

He saw the cream-colored classic listed for auction by a Los Angeles car dealer. He did a check – and saw the VIN matched the one on the title he’d hung on to since the 70’s.

“I’m not trying to sound indelicate, but you’re selling my car,” Russell told the dealer.

It took some finagling of old police records to get the car re-activated in stolen car listings, but Russell got it done… and his car is now back in his driveway, right where it belongs.

Too bad for the eBay dealer, though…who may not have stolen the car, but did lose nearly 20-thousand dollars in that auction when police impounded the vehicle.

Washington woman attacked by raccoons

A Lakewood, Washington woman has about 100 scratches, punctures and bite wounds after being chased and mauled by several raccoons near a park south of Seattle.

The incident took place near Fort Steilacoom Park, when 28-year-old Michaela Lee was jogging with her dog.

The dog started chasing the raccoon… a group that included a mommy and her babies. The raccoons chased the dog up the tree.

When Lee went to collect her dog, the raccoons came out in force. She says she made it about 75 feet to a neighbor’s yard where she was knocked to the ground and mauled by the raccoons.

Lee says from now on, she’ll carry mace when running.

I work out(side)

This video of three Kansan brothers performing “I’m Farming and I Grow It” truly is everything that’s right with America.

LMFAO. Both ways.

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One person was killed and several others injured when a leopard let loose in the city of Guwahati.

According to BBC, the leopard was first seen on Saturday near a crematorium as the funeral of a Congress Party leader’s son was taking place. Among the attendees were ministers and dignitaries.

After the leopard was spotted, the police sent the VIPs to a safer place and chased the leopard.

Before it was caught, and released into the Manas Wildfire Sanctuary, it attacked several people.

According to Manas Paran, a photojournalist for the Sunday Indian magazine who witnessed the event, the leopard “jumped across several multi-story buildings, including a bank, then jumped on to the ground.”

Now, we’ve never been to Guwahati, but the image of a leopard jumping from building to building like some kind of superhero in an action film, scares the living daylight out of us.  These photos don’t help either. 

Follow Mary Ann Georgantopoulos on Twitter @marygeorgant

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The NYPD picked up a man Monday night and are questioning him now, according to the report.

Police were looking for a man suspected of throwing homemade Molotov cocktails at as many as five locations throughout Queens on Sunday night, including at a mosque, two homes, a bodega and a third home that was used as a Hindu temple. Nobody was injured in any of the incidents. Police, however, considered the attacks possible hate crimes.

The Post also reported that the man threatened bodega workers at the 179th Street Deli after he was caught trying to steal milk and bottles of Starbucks Frappucino.

“You’re going to get it!” he shouted at deli workers, according to the Post.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined Islamic leaders, the Anti-Defamation League and members of 30 other religious groups at the Al-Khoei Islamic Center this morning, the site where a bomb was thrown into the front door.

Bloomberg said that, regardless of whether they were bias attacks, the violence was unacceptable.

“We are outraged by these shocking and despicable acts directed at houses of worship,” said Ron Meier, New York director of the Anti-Defamation League. “These heinous crimes are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.”

- Carly Baldwin

UPDATE: Police have released a sketch of a suspect they believe threw Molotov cocktails at four locations in Queens Sunday night. Officers said they are considering all four incidents, including a house fire, possible hate crimes.

The first attack happened around 8 p.m. when a Molotov cocktail made with a bottle was thrown at the counter of a 179 Street Deli on Hillside Avenue.

Police said a fire that badly damaged a private residence on 107th Avenue just after 8 p.m. was also caused by a Molotov cocktail.

About 45 minutes later, between 60 and 80 people were inside the Al-Khoei Benevolent Foundation in Jamaica when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at one of the building’s doors.  

“It is a surprise that we are not expecting here in New York to happen,” said Munir Hussain, who works in administration for the mosque. “The people are very brave and they are confident in the NYPD.”

The building also houses a school. Hussain said parents have voiced concern, but security has been increased and classes will resume tomorrow.

The final attack involved two explosives thrown at a home that also holds Hindu worship services on 170th Street.

“The attacks on a religious institution and private property in Queens represent a brand of intolerance and bigotry that cannot be allowed to stand in our city,” said Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. “These appalling acts of vandalism are an affront to all New Yorkers. I applaud the NYPD and State authorities for their rapid response, and urge the full prosecution of these attacks as the hate crimes they truly are.”

There were no injuries reported in connection to the incidents.

Police said the suspect was spotted fleeing the scene in a light-colored four-door sedan. They are offering a $10,000 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

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The terror threat concerns a possible vehicle-borne attack, sponsored by al-Qaeda, against New York or Washington.

President Barack Obama met with his national security team yesterday morning, to review the intelligence and ensure U.S. officials were pursuing all possible leads, Brennan said.

Over the weekend, the NYPD investigated the theft of three vans in possible connection with the terror threat, as two of the vans were stolen from a contracting company that did work at the World Trade Center site.

One of the vans was recovered yesterday in Queens. Police believe it was stolen not for terrorism purposes, but rather for the $60,000 worth of tools and equipment inside.

Police in Massachusetts yesterday also canceled a statewide search for a rental truck after it was found.

On Saturday night, someone saw men loading 55-gallon drums into a Penske truck and called police, who then raced to find the truck.

But it was determined that the truck was merely picking up charitable goods and donations, from different parts of the city, according to Boston police.

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And this time, the 4-foot-11-inch man, who only weighs about 120 pounds — and who usually sticks to the Upper East Side — is moving west.

Police said the suspect  trailed a 28-year-old woman as she walked through Central Park at 10 p.m. Friday, just east of West Drive at 66th Street and near the former Tavern on the Green site. After approaching her from behind and initiating a conversation, the man then sexually assaulted her, police said.

The woman was able to punch and kick him away before fleeing. She was treated at a nearby hospital and released.

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Afghanistan-born U.S. citizen Mohammed Zazi, 55, is on trial for charges of obstructing the investigation into a plot by his son, Najibullah Zazi, 26, to bomb the subway in 2009.

In opening arguments to a Brooklyn federal court jury, prosecutor Andrew Goldsmith said the FBI was frantically trying to stop a suspected attack when they showed up on Mohammed Zazi’s doorstep in Aurora, Colo., in September 2009.

Goldsmith said that Mohammed Zazi’s efforts to thwart the investigation included telling family members to lie and helping to destroy chemicals, masks and other evidence.

“In the midst of trying to stop this terrorist attack on New York City, the FBI wasted time and resources trying to untangle the defendant’s lies,” Goldsmith told jurors.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called the plot the most serious security threat in the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Najibullah Zazi admitted to having traveled to Pakistan, where he was recruited by al Qaeda and received bomb-making instructions.

When he returned, he put into motion a plan to bomb the New York City subway system near the Sept. 11 anniversary.

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