others on the scene. where the bombs have been described as small, portable devices. dozens have been admitted to the hospital with shrapnel wounds. there was a third but official is cannot say whether that is related. i want to go to pierre thomas covering this all afternoon long from the justice department. there's some indication now there might be a person of interest in this case? >> yeah, i've spoken to federal authorities. there's a person that they apparently want to talk to, but this official was cautioning me, it mighting rou be routine proco get additional information. this is a person that has been identified that they want to talk to who's at the hospital. we don't know much more than that at this point.

>> so they know where this person is, they know who this person is, they will be able to talk to this person? >> again, assuming that person is conscious, they will be able to talk to that person. again, my sources are reaching out to people in the boston area, near the hospital to try to get additional information, but no confirmation that this is a suspect at the moment. >> we're waiting for president obama now, expected to address the nation in about eight minutes. at 6:10 eastern time. abc news has been calling nearby hospitals, counting 86 patients in the hospital. take a look at what the eyewitnesses heard and saw. >> i just walked away -- 15 feet away, 20 feet, and you know, a bomb went off. it knocked me to the ground. and then everybody started running, panicking. my first instinct, i knew when the bomb went off and they were standing right there, and i started to go back towards it, and another bomb went off. i felt the ground again, people running, you were getting trampled.

>> i think we were all in shock. 15 seconds later, further up on the right-hand side, a second explosion also on the right-hand side of the street. then chaos. >> there are massive amounts of ambulances driving up to the medical tents and they're bringing out people one by one and putting them on the ambulances and taking off. in the meantime, police are pushing people further and further back. >> i saw one guy with his legs gone at the knees. some ankles and feet missing. shrapnel wounds on the side of the head and other things. not good. >> i saw the first explosion happen. there was some commotion. i saw fire and smoke, and i didn't know what it was. from about me to where that sdw gentleman is standing over there, i saw a trash can explode and people started throwing down the barricade and running over each other. i ran in the opposite direction fast as i could.

>> we had not before heard about the trash can exploding. the governor of massachusetts and police officials have been calling on all eyewitnesses, anyone who may have already or seen something, who may have taken a video, to send that in. law enforcement officials will be combing through that, trying to determine exactly what happened. here i want to go to jon karl at the white house now in the white house briefing room. we're expecting to hear from president obama in just a few minutes. what can you tell us about what he's done since he heard of these explosions? >> he was informed almost immediately after this happened in boston, george, and got on the phone with his homeland security secretary and his fbi director, got on the phone with the governor of massachusetts, and the mayor of boston, and he's also spoken with speaker of the house jon boehner telling him what he knows. the president will speak and we'll find out the latest on

this. but we also know that the intelligence committees on capitol hill have been briefed. the chairman of the intelligence committee said it is a terrorist incident. that was the chairwoman of the intelligence committee in the senator. she added, it could be foreign, it could be home-grown. that now the big question. >> but she did say it had all the hall marks of a terrorist attack. preliminary briefing by intelligence officials, you see the president right there with his chief of staff, dennis mcdonna, as well as there will be a former briefing tonight. we know john boehner will have a moment of silence on the house floor. >> reporter: yes, that's right. within half an hour from the speaker. >> at least 86 injured at the

boston marathon shortly before 3:00 p.m. this afternoon. we had heard that there was no specific threat about the boston marathon. officials will go back to comb through everything they've seen and everything they've heard and everything observe that night to see if there were clues there that may missed. and also pierre thomas, we have just a few minutes now before the president comes forward. no one has stepped forward to take any kind of responsibility for this so far, but as you just reported moments ago, officials may be wanting to interview what they describe as someone who could be a person of interest at a hospital near the scene. >> talk to everyone who is in a position to know anything useful. this person, for some reason, caught their attention. they want to talk to this person. they are not describing, at least not to me, this person as a suspect just yet. i have a particular source who's trying to reach out to this hospital, to law enforcement

there, to get more information. george, i should say that, you know, in the wake of 9/11, in the last few years, there's been no shortage of people that the federal government has charged with wanting to blow up things and kill people and harm people. often in scenarios just like this. there have been at least 50 cases where the federal government in various sting operations have caught people willing to detonate bombs and kill their fellow citizens. so, again, this has been something that has been very much in the focus of law enforcement. that is why they are constantly doing these type of investigations. one of the things that struck me about these cases in the past is that in the recent cases they've let people think they were going to detonate a bomb, where they were infiltrated a particular group, a so-called lone-wolf person, gave them the means, and then would see if they would actually detonate a bomb. they saw time and time again that they would. so this type of situation that

we're seeing unfold today is the nightmare scenario they've been concerned about for quite some time. >> at least 50 people apprehended. surprising that we haven't seen more incidents like this before. we've heard from martha raddatz and others, putting together devices like this, is not that difficult. we've just learned from the boston police commissioner that the library fire doesn't appear to be related to the explosions near the finish line of the boston marathon. so that narrows the net somewhat. >> reporter: yes, i spoke to an official who said that's looking like some sort of fire that originated in the building and not necessarily tied to the other incidents. so we were getting indications behind the scenes that was separate and apart and maybe not a bomb. >> and picking up on something brad garrett said, we heard from that one eyewitness who said

that he saw an explosion take place from a garbage can. there's a good chance that officials, as they go through all the information being gathered from the site, in the hours leading up to the attack, there's a good chance they might be able to capture who was in that area that might have put the devices near the finish line. >> reporter: one key thing, looking at surveillance tapes that might be available. most major cities have surveillance cameras along different major thorough fares. they'll be looking to see if they can find something like that. if they can, it will give them an idea what this person may look like, what the package may have looked like, and also if it originated from a trash can, there are tell-tale signs at a blast scene that tell you where the bomb originated. from that location they look out forward, looking for pieces that would give them an indication of

how to gather it and put it back together. >> we heard see officials now in london, in los angeles, in new york, going through enhanced security efforts. london marathon coming up on sunday. the funeral of margaret thatcher is tomorrow. this will be a place of large crowds, enhanced security in all those areas until they get a better sense of who did this in boston today. >> reporter: exactly. i can recall a senior official in law enforcement telling me that, every day the united states government puts forth the best effort to figure out who is trying to kill us. the ag is briefed by the fbi director every day. the official said, what you know -- what you don't know is what you don't know. >> and here come the president. >> earlier today i was briefed by my homeland security team on the events in boston. we're continuing to monitor and respond to the situation as it unfolds and 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. the american people will say a prayer for boston tonight, and michelle and i send our deepest thoughts and prayers to the famili families of the victims in the wake of this senseless loss. we don't yet have all the answers. but we know multiple people have been wounded, some gravely, in explosions at the boston marathon. i've spoken to fbi director muller and they're mobilizing the appropriate resources to investigate and respond. i've updated leaders of congress in both parties and we reaffirm on days like this, there are no republicans or democrats, we are americans united and concerned for our fellow citizens. i've spoken with governor patrick and mayor menino and made it clear they have every

resource necessary to care for the victims and counsel the families. i made clear to them that all americans stand with the people of boston. boston police, firefighters, and first responders, as well as the national guard responded heroically and continue to do so as we speak. it'sa i reminder that so many americans serve and sacrifice on our behalf every single day, without regard to their own safety, in dangerous and difficult circumstances. we salute all those who assisted in responding so quickly and professionally to this tragedy. we still do not know who did this or why. and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts. but make no mistake, we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, we'll find out why they did this. any responsible individuals, any responsible groups will feel the

full weight of justice. today's a holiday in massachusetts. patriots' day. a day that celebrates the free and fiercely independent spirit that this great american city of boston has reflected from the earliest days of our nation. and it's a day that draws the world to boston's streets in a spirit of friendly competition. boston is a tough and resilient town, so are its people. i'm confident bostonians will pull together, take care of each other and move forward as one proud city. as they do, the american people will be with them every single step of the way. you should anticipate that as bee get more information, our teams will provide you briefings. we're still in the investigation stage at this point. but i just want to reiterate, we will find out who did this and we will hold them accountable. thank you very much.

>> president obama from the white house briefing room, saying that all americans stand with the people of boston, a tough and resilient town that has taken a tragedy today. two explosions shortly before 3:00 p.m., near the finish line of the boston marathon. at least two have been killed, dozens have been injured. the president also said we don't know yet who did this or why. as you look at that moment of impact, shortly before 3:00 p.m., but the president promising on behalf of all the american people that we will get to the bottom of this. the investigative stage has just begun. he's ordered every federal resource to help the mayor and governor and police of boston to figure out who did this. those people will be held accountable. we'll stay with this. diane sawyer will be here shortly with a special one-hour edition of "world news." much more on "nightline" and i'll see you tomorrow

i saw the garbage barrel explode. i saw the flashings the fire and -- flash, the fire and smoke. >> people were caught by two explosion and another one at the jfk library. police are dismantling two more devices. there are a lot of questions right now. we just don't note answer to all -- know the answer to all of them. people were taken to tents. they became triage tents. we know at least 23 people have been hurt. two have died. bomb squads have been called. people were told to stay away

from trash cans and police try to figure out what caused these explosions. the boston marathon facebook page said two explosions went off. we understand 86 have been hurt and they happened at mile marker 26. it was supposed to be a special place. we also know off duty boston police officers have been called. the new york city police, they're stepping up security at hotels, locations in new york. washington is on heightened alert. many who work there are taking the train heading back to baltimore. several people from maryland were running in the race and their families have spent the

afternoon trying to find them the. >> reporter: 4438 marylanders -- 4438 marylanders -- 448 marylanders registered to run the boston marathon. we went through the list. it appears 40 marylanders did not finish the race but we did find some recognizable names getting across the finish line safely. among them we found an emergency room doctor with the university of maryland medical strd -- center. wade gash finished in four hours and 30 minutes. a former member of the towson cross tun team -- country team ran. rob san tone nirks the owner of san tony supermarket finished the race and is heading back to baltimore shaken up.

many were part of the howard county striders group. they're all okay, and the falls road running club that went to boston are also all accounted for. you can track the runners using the tool baa.org. if you're looking for information on loved one unless the race, concerned about their well-being, the red cross has set up a website on their page. a lot of people are trying to access the site right now. it is very slow. >> we understand that s.w.a.t. teams are showing up at a possible hospital. now these explosions triggered a reaction from the police department. brian kuebler spoke with police. >> reporter: when something like this happens, police react.

expect to see more officers at critical sites. however, the department does stress there's no specific credible threat. anne arundel police have extra resources on hand. in prince george's county, its police department said it is adding extra patrols. this weekend as the komen race for the cure event in ocean city is taking place, they are preparing for the race. back here in the city commissioner batts is reviewing every event. this includes an orioles home game. anything from here on out we'll see an extra and very visible police presence. brian kuebler. >> about 20 people from the falls club running club ran.

abc2 tracked them down. all of them are safe. christian schaffer spoke to the runners who whether so close to what happened. >> we walked about a half mile to get something to eat. while we were sitting outside, we heard what sound like a canon. within minutes, the police response, ambulance, fire trucks. obviously, something want right. >> all right. the runners are trying to figure out how to get back here home. many flights have been canceled. we'll have much more in an hour long report that will start at 6:30. stay with abc2 news for updates. you can also follow it on twitter. there are now charges in the crash that took the life of --

of matthew hersl. police say he was the driver of the acura that raced right through the city and went out of control, killing matthew. tomorrow night orioles plan to honor the life of matthew before their game against tampa. certainly a chilly afternoon, starting out with temperatures into the 60s. 62 downtown. all about the wind today. that has scooped up a chilly day. 8 to 10-mile-an-hour winds. we'll have the clouds through the overnight. clouds will break up by tomorrow. if's -- it's a mild evening. low 50s for tonight and into the 50s around the 8:00 hour. lunchtime around 6 2á6789 we'll talk more -- 6:00. we'll talk more about that.

the so-called rain taxes a fees and it's based on your roof, driveway, sidewalk. tonight as abc2 news jeff hager tells us, it's baltimore county's turn. >> reporter: it took decades for runoff to take its toll on the chesapeake bay now the urbanized counties have a few months to start making you pay for it. >> anything that's impervious, those kinds of things, cause runoff. we have to, by law, address it to remove pollution, nitrogen to improve water quality in tributaries that go to the bay. >> reporter: for home owners in the county, the proposed fee at most will cost about $36. for commercial properties it could cost up to $30,000. by law nonprofits are exempt and the executive director of

catholic charities said the cumulative cost to the 20 sites could be -- 280 sites could be measured in real sacrifice. >> take my sister's place. yesterday the tax was $3500 a year. that's 1200 meals in our dining program in terms of cost. 120 shelter nights. there are seven ladies going through our program. and multiply this times 200. >> reporter: but that program is in baltimore city, recognizing the potential hard ship, baltimore county executive kevin kamenetz proposed charging at the estimated rate. baltimore county, jeff ager, abc2 news. state lawmakers voted to require the fees in baltimore city facing a mandate by the federal government to show

progress in cleaning up the chesapeake bay. >> we'll take a look at a lot of clouds out there. temperatures held back into the 50s this afternoon. 58 degrees right now at bwi. bay water temperatures, 59 degrees. could be a little fog for the overnight. temperatures for the most part in the upper 50s. it's 55, 56 in easton. there's the wind coming from the southeasterly direction. that has brought in a marine layer. fog, low clouds for tonight. eventually we'll switch our wind direction out. it will warm us up and bring more in the way of sunshine. we are socked in with the clouds. hour by hour forecast suggests clouds. after midnight we'll be into the 50s, waking up to mild, 55. sunshine for the lunchtime hour.

high pressure is slowly drifting whoever shore. that is bringing that easterly wind but eventually we'll switch more out of the southerly direction to get our daytime high noolts 50s. go down to the south and to the west, numbers near 80 in chattanooga. so clouds and fog for tonight. a mild feel across much of the state. watch what happens into tomorrow afternoon. see this cold front? this will slowly inch its way into the state. by doing so it will switch the winds. sunshine tomorrow and then a thunderstorm. 11:00 temperatures. 55 degrees. we'll wake up with temperatures into the 50s on our way to the low 70s tomorrow afternoon a blend of sunshine, clouds. could be a late day shower or storm. wednesday could be a late day shower or storm. maryland's most accurate forecast is saying clouds and patchy fog. 51 degrees will be the overnight

temperature. tomorrow brings us to 72 degrees. by tuesday night pretty mild, 58 degrees with the shower potential. unsettled will be the deal overred next several days. 72 for your day tomorrow. 74 on wednesday. could be a late day shower and thunderstorm. the same deal for thursday and friday with temperatures in the 70s. eventually we'll get a storm system that will push it offshore. by the weekend it will cool down. we'll talk about your forecast tonight at 11 but showers and storms could be part of the theme going into the next several days. >> up until 3:00. the great patriots day, the boston marathon. we're coming up on 6:30. we'll send it back to diane sawyer. city police commissioner batts will have a conference at 6:30 telling us how the city will react. joce sterman did a breakdown of

all the local run ares in boston. we're on top of this story on twitter on facebook on tv mall night long. have a safe night and we'll see you back here at 11.

this is a special edition of "world news." tonight, terror in boston. bombs explode at the marathon. the first explosion as runners cross the finish line. seconds later, a fiery second blast. >> a blast of fire and smoke and i just ran as fast as i could. >> injured spectators, children raced to the hospital, harrowing scenes on the pavement. tonight, the latest from the terror investigator, the response from washington,