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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Black Mass of Crime in Boston


Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and a Devil's Deal [Paperback]



Book Description

May 22, 2012
John Connolly and James “Whitey” Bulger grew up together on the tough streets of South Boston. Decades later in the mid-1970s, they met again. By then, Connolly was a major figure in the FBI’s Boston office and Whitey had become godfather of the Irish Mob. Connolly had an idea, a scheme that might bring Bugler into the FBI fold and John Connolly into the Bureau’s big leagues. But Bulger had other plans. Compellingly told by two former Boston Globe reporters who were on the case from the beginning, Black Mass is the chilling true story of what happened between them—a dark deal that spiraled out of control, leading to drug dealing, racketeering, and murder.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the spring of 1988, Boston Globe reporters Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill set out to write the story of two infamous brothers from the insular Irish enclave of South Boston: Jim "Whitey" Bulger and his younger brother Billy. Whitey was the city's most powerful gangster and a living legend--tough, cunning, without conscience, and above all, smart. Billy, president of the state Senate, was a political heavyweight in Massachusetts. These facts alone make for an intriguing story, but as Lehr and O'Neill found out, this was only the beginning.John Connolly, a rising FBI agent and fellow "Southie," had known the Bulgers since boyhood when Whitey rescued him from a playground fight. After investigating organized crime in New York, Connolly was reassigned to the bureau's Boston office in 1975, and was determined to make a name for himself by relying on his old connections. He succeeded in a big way by lining up Whitey as an FBI informant in an effort to bring down the Italian Mafia--a major coup for both the FBI and Connolly. In exchange, Bulger received protection. Though heavily involved in extortion, intimidation, assassination, and drug trafficking, Connolly's "good bad guy" did not receive so much as a traffic infraction for over 20 years. In time, however, the deal changed, and information began flowing the other direction, with Bulger manipulating Connolly and a small group of corrupt FBI agents to further his nefarious network. The criminals and the lawmen eventually became virtually indistinguishable.
Black Mass expertly details the twists and turns of this complex story, painting a vivid portrait of Boston's underbelly and its inclusive political machine, as well as exposing one of the worst scandals in FBI history. It's also an examination of loyalty--to family, home, and heritage--and "a cautionary tale about the abuse of power that goes unchecked." As a final favor, Connolly tipped off Bulger that he was to be indicted on racketeering charges in 1995, allowing him time to go on the lam (he's reported to have access to secret bank accounts across the country). He was added to the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted List" in 1999. --Sharon M. Brown --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A triumph of investigative reporting, this full-bodied true-crime saga by two Boston Globe reporters is a cautionary tale about FBI corruption and the abuse of power. Gangster James "Whitey" Bulger ruled Boston's Irish mob, and his wary collaboration with the Italian Mafia, which he detested, was the cornerstone of the city's balkanized criminal underworld. (His younger brother, Billy Bulger, was the iron-fisted president of the state senate and later president of the University of Massachusetts.) Few suspected that Whitey Bulger and his partner, crime boss Stevie Flemmi, were both FBI informants; their squealing helped the FBI to put a score of mobsters in jail and wipe out the Angiulo crime family. Here O'Neill and Lehr (Pulitzer winner and Pulitzer finalist, respectively, and coauthors of The Underboss: The Rise and Fall of a Mafia Family) maintain that overzealous FBI Agent John Connolly, who was Whitey's handler, and Agent John Morris, Flemmi's handler, "coddled, conspired and protected the mobsters in a way that for all practical purposes had given them a license to kill." FBI agents looked the other way while Bulger and Flemmi went on a 1980s crime spree that, according to witnesses, included extortion, bank robberies, drug trafficking and a string of unsolved murders. This complex, dramatic tale climaxes with a 1998 federal hearing that found that Connolly and Morris had essentially fictionalized FBI internal records to downplay the stoolies' crimes while overstating their value to the Bureau. In 1999, a grand jury probe launched by Attorney General Janet Reno led to Connolly's arrest on charges of racketeering and obstruction of justice (he's now out on bail). Also named in the indictment were Flemmi, already arrested by state police in 1995, and Bulger, now a fugitive on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. This in-depth look at the FBI's war against the Mafia includes the first-ever secret recording of a Mafia induction ceremony, complete with pricking of fingers and blood oaths. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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All copyrighted sources are quoted and used for comment and education in accord with the nonprofit provisions of: Title 17 U.S.C., Section 107 for Fair Use.

Gladio like terrorism strikes U.S.


Police search for leads after marathon blast rocks Boston



BOSTON | Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:18am EDT

(Reuters) - A Boston-area apartment was one focus of a wide-ranging police investigation on Tuesday as authorities pursued clues into who carried out a bombing attack that killed three people and wounded more than 100 others at the storied Boston Marathon.

Police overnight searched an apartment in Revere, about 6 miles northeast of Boston, that was the residence of a person whose connection to the event is under investigation, law enforcement sources said.

A stretch of Boylston Street near the race's finish line and the blocks around it were closed to traffic as police searched for evidence of the identity of who placed the bombs packed with ball bearings to maximize casualties.
It was the worst bombing on U.S. soil since security was tightened after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The White House said the bombings would be treated as "an act of terror" and President Barack Obama vowed that those responsible would "feel the full weight of justice."
In Boston, dozens of police and National Guard vehicles were parked around the cordoned-off area, which was empty of cars and pedestrians as authorities hunted for clues.
A banner that had marked the race's finish line still hung over the deserted street.
Police searched the Revere residence of a Saudi Arabian student who was injured in the blasts, according to law enforcement sources. One of the sources said the student was the main lead investigators are looking into, but he has not been labeled a suspect.
Katherine Gulotta, a spokeswoman for the FBI, which has taken over the lead in the investigation, declined to confirm or deny the reports. She said police planned to brief the media at 9:30 a.m. (1330 GMT).
Obama was updated on the investigation overnight by his homeland security and counter-terrorism aide, Lisa Monaco.
The president is due to be briefed on the explosions later this morning by FBI Director Robert Mueller, Monaco and other senior staff.
White House officials and investigators said it was too early to say whether the Boston attacks were carried out by a foreign or homegrown group, or to identify a motive.
Hospitals in the Boston area were planning surgeries for some of the victims, many of whom sustained lower leg injuries in the blasts, said Peter Fagenholz, a trauma surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital.
"We're seeing a lot of shrapnel injuries" from small metal debris, Fagenholz told reporters outside the hospital. Doctors treated 29 people, of whom eight were in a critical condition.
An 8-year-old boy was among the dead, the Boston Globe reported, citing two law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation. A 2-year-old was being treated at Boston Children's Hospital for a head wound, the hospital said.
MAJOR CITIES ON ALERT
The blasts put police on alert in major cities across the United States, including Washington and New York City, the sites of the September 11 attacks.
The annual Boston Marathon, held since 1897, attracts an estimated half-million spectators and some 20,000 participants every year.
In Britain, organizers said the London Marathon would go ahead on Sunday despite the Boston attack, but security was being reviewed.
The Madrid Marathon also planned to proceed on Sunday, but security plans were under review, a Spanish official said.
"After what happened in Boston we'll have to look into whether we need to review our plans. Since yesterday we are coordinating with municipal security and local government," Pedro Rumbao, director of the Madrid marathon, told Spanish National Radio.
Runners who had traveled to the city for the race remained in shock on Tuesday morning.
Pat Monroe-DuPrey, of Winter Haven, Florida, ran with his wife, Laura, in a trip to mark their 10th anniversary after being married during the race.
He said he did not know what to make of the blast, which came as he was finishing the race in a state of exhaustion.
"You don't have a brain at 26 miles," Monroe-DuPrey said. "They got us off the course, and then I was panicking."
(Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball and Mark Felsenthal in Washington, Pritha Sarkar, Patrick Johnston, Martyn Herman and David Cutler in London and Gareth Jones in Berlin.; Editing by Christopher Wilson and Lisa Von Ahn)

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All copyrighted sources are quoted and used for comment and education in accord with the nonprofit provisions of: Title 17 U.S.C., Section 107 for Fair Use.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Anti Life attack in Boston




http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Boston-Marathon-headquarters-locked-down-after-blasts-heard-309891

Boston Marathon headquarters locked down after blasts heard

By REUTERS
04/15/2013 22:10
STON - The hotel that serves as the headquarters for the Boston Marathon was locked down on Monday after a security incident near the finish line. Two blasts were heard by reporters in the media center. A Boston Marathon spokesman told reporters that no one would be allowed in or out of the building.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/us/explosions-reported-at-site-of-boston-marathon.html?_r=0



BOSTON — A series of explosions was reported near the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday, leaving two people dead and at least two dozen injured, according to the Boston Police Department.
THE LEDE

Live Updates on the Explosions

Photographs from the scene are appearing on social media, and The Lede blog is providing live updates.
Multimedia


A third explosion was heard just before 4 p.m., about an hour after the first two blasts. The police were apparently aware of that device before the explosion occured.
The explosions took place about four hours after the start of the men’s race, which meant that there were still several thousand runners yet to finish the race. One senior counterterrorism official said it was too soon to tell whether the explosions were related to terrorism.
The Boston police confirmed they were looking into the explosions, but made no further comment. Another senior United States government official said that the Boston police and the F.B.I. said they had received no reports in recent days about a threat of an attack on the marathon and that there was no warning on Monday.
Several news outlets reported that a loud explosion was heard on the north side of Boylston Street, near a photo bridge that marks the finish line. Another explosion was heard several seconds later.
The Associated Press reported that authorities were helping injured runners leave the scene and bloody spectators were being carried to a medical tent that was being used for runners.
Bruce Mendelsohn, who works in a building near the explosion, said on Twitter that he saw blood on the sidewalks and about a dozen casualties.
Big city authorities are typically on the highest levels of alert for events like a marathon, said Anthony Roman, a security expert.
“It is quite the counterterrorism effort,” said Mr. Roman, who runs Roman & Associates, a New York firm.
For major events in New York and other large cities, Mr. Roman said the police would typically weld manhole covers shut, while also examining the entire route just before the race. They would also place snipers on rooftops, with helicopters overhead. Analytic cameras in the city would also be used, he said.
“They have all the analytic cameras in the city focusing on the race with their advanced software network, reading license plates,” Mr. Roman said.
The Boston Marathon is one of track’s most storied events, established in 1897 and one of the six World Marathon Majors. The event typically attracts an estimated 500,000 spectators and requires certain qualifying times for runners to compete.
The course winds throughout downtown Boston as well as several outlying cities, including Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley and Newton.
Unlike many sporting events that take place in closed arenas, marathons are known and heralded for their sprawl, allowing throngs of spectators to line the 26.2-mile course.
Within minutes of the explosions on Monday, social media and cable networks projected the images of gray smoke on Boylston Street, with emergency crews on the scene.
After the explosions, a spokesman for the New York Police Department said security was being increased at hotels and other prominent locations in New York

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