The Boston Police Department has shed some light on what occured yesterday. Apparently "real" fake pipe bombs were mixed in with the reports of the ATHF signs, and this contributed to the confusion.

# At 12:54 p.m. the Boston Police Bomb squad receives a call for a suspicious device [a Mooninite] at the intersection of Stuart and Charles Street.

# Six minutes later at 1:02 p.m. Boston Police received a call from New England Medical Center Security that they had uncovered a pipe bomb in their building in a desk drawer. Shortly thereafter Hospital Security reported that a suspect had been seen leaving the area of the pipe bomb in an agitated state stating, "God is warning you that today is going to be a sad Day." The suspect was reported to have fled the hospital.

The police reaction makes more sense in context. I can understand dealing with the first Mooninite with caution. The fact that a "real" fake pipe bomb from a crazy person was reported six minutes after the second report of a Mooninite could have easily contributed to the fear of a city wide incident.

This, however, does not excuse some of the rhetoric targetted at Turner from Boston's politicians, including and especially the ridiculous statement made by the Assistant Attorney General at this morning's arraignment that the Mooninites were intended to be mistaken for bombs.