Mystery man on roof: One of the most heavily circulated photos on social media of the Boston Marathon bombings shows a mysterious figure walking on a nearby rooftop.
The photo, which primarily depicts the second bomb explosion, was taken by spectator Dan Lampariello. The two bombs were detonated around 12 seconds apart close to the race’s finish line, according to Yahoo News.
The Twitter parody account of singer Frank Ocean, called @Fraank_Oceaan, was one of the first to notice the mysterious figure and a post was retweeted more than 2,200 times. “Who’s that guy on the roof??” he asked.
The Daily Mail also sent out a similar tweet: “Who is this person? Individual seen walking on roof directly overhead as bomb goes off at Boston Marathon.”
Some speculated that the man on the roof could be a suspect because he did not appear to react after the second explosion.
“The picture of the guy on the roof overlooking the second explosion is the spookiest thing I have ever seen,” another person said on Twitter.
On Tuesday, the Boston Police Department asked for help into any leads. Reports claimed that a Saudi national was detained as a suspect, but Boston Police and other officials said they don’t have anyone in custody yet.
“Authorities have recognized that one the first places people go in events like this is to social media, to see what the crowd is saying about what to do next,” Bill Braniff, the head of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Response to Terrorism, told National Geographic. “And today authorities went to Twitter and directed them to traditional media environments where authorities can present a clear calm picture of what to do next.”
President Barack Obama on Monday evening said he will use the federal government’s full power to search for the perpetrators of the bombing.
“I’ve directed the full resources of the federal government to help state and local authorities protect our people, increase security around the United States as necessary, and investigate what happened,” he said.
He added: “I’ve updated leaders of Congress and both parties and we reaffirm that on days like this there are no Republicans or Democrats. We are Americans united in our concern for fellow citizens.”
