If a bomb goes off at the Outgames does it make a noise?

[dsc]

http://www.outsports.com/os/index.php/component/content/article/52-outgames2009/255-athlete-describes-bomb-attack-at-world-outgames

Here is a chronology of what happened on Tuesday, according to eyewitnesses:

The 55-59 age group was in the starting area in the men's 4x200-meter relay about 2 p.m. when a loud explosion was heard. Rob Lyons, a member of the New York Frontrunners, was taking photos and standing just feet from the blast, and said that the race starter looked at his gun, thinking it had misfired. "My ears were totally ringing," Lyons said.

After a brief delay and with everyone assuming the first blast was some one-off prank, the race was set to resume. That's when a second bomb was tossed.

"It lit up the whole area" near the relay start, said Stephen Stuehling, a member of the Seattle Frontrunners, who was on the other side of the track warming up for his relay when the second bomb hit.

"The container hit the ground and everyone yelled to run," said Koga, who was in his running lane and then headed for the infield area. "That's when I felt the impact" from the shrapnel that ricocheted off the ground and into the top part of his right hand.

"I felt a sting and there was blood flowing down from the baton I was holding."

Koga at first tried to hide the injury, thinking it was minor. He said he did not want his relay team to have to forfeit

end of quote

A terrorist bombing at an international event and no coverage. Fortunately no one died or was seriously injured.

[nuxvomica]

1. Interesting differences in coverage on this

While the Copenhagen Post called the devices used "powerful explosives", the AP story calls them "fireworks".

[ColbertWatcher]

2. Good question. BBC covered the story as well.

They quoted the perp by calling the explosive device a "firecracker".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8175246.stm

[csziggy]

3. Fireworks can blow off hands and fingers

Throwing one into a crowd is dangerous - the perp is lucky that the shrapnel thrown out did not hit someone in a more vulnerable area than a hand and did not damage the runner's hand more.

[ColbertWatcher]

4. Yes, that's true, but other media outlets are definitively calling them bombs. n/t

[csziggy]

6. For all practical purposes firworks are bombs

And since he was using whatever they were as bombs, why not call them that?

I was initially surprised that "fireworks" as indicated in the article were available in a European country - they tend to be much more restrictive of that kind of thing than the US.

[ColbertWatcher]

7. I just wonder how the GOPers will twist it to minimize the seriousness. n/t

[csziggy]

8. They'll ignore it - it happened in one of those evil "socialist" countries!

And the only people hurt were gay.

[ColbertWatcher]

10. We'll see who in America covers it. n/t

[csziggy]

11. So far, AP and Seattle Post Intelligencer - the injured runner was from Seattle

But it does not look as though any other news source picked it up from AP - Google News search with "Outgames" as search term.

Why am I not surprised?

[ColbertWatcher]

12. Seattle loves their runners. But the AP ...

... doesn't that mean that everyone can pick it up?

The AP is a wire service. Usually when the AP reports something all the news outlets simply copy it without changing a thing.

[csziggy]

13. And usually Google will show the various iterations of the AP story across the country

Maybe they will pick it up for tomorrow's papers? It's still not showing in the "regular newspapers" but now I wonder if Google has changed the way they show news and filter for repeats of the same AP feed articles?

[ColbertWatcher]

5. Kick. n/t

[SemiCharmedQuark]

9. Did I read correctly that the guy who did it got 13 DAYS for this?

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_outgames_attack_seattle.html

[csziggy]

14. It says a preliminary charge - maybe there will be additional charges?

[chollybocker]

15. He'll be incarcerated until the end of the GayGames, i.e., 13 days.

After that, he faces numerous charges.

[DCKit]

16. The textbook definition of terrorist

WTF do regular people have to do to protect their kids?