CNN's national security analyst Peter Bergen thrice suggested that
"right-wing extremists" could be behind Monday's Boston Marathon
bombings. Yet near the beginning of its 5 p.m. ET coverage, CNN reported that Boston Police were
not currently holding any suspect in custody.
Appearing on CNN's live coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing with
host Jake Tapper, Bergen was asked to explain if the bombing could have
been an act of terror. Bergen answered in the affirmative, and proceeded
to name possible suspects depending on the type of explosive used.
[Video below. Audio here [1].]
Although the type of bomb used was not yet known, and the perpetrators had not been identified, Bergen threw out possible names: al Qaeda and "right-wing extremists."
"But the fact that there were two explosions – two bombings – one of the things I'd be looking at is once the device, if it is a device, is found, what kind of explosives were used? For instance, if it was hydrogen peroxide, this is a signature of al-Qaeda. If it was more conventional explosives, which are much harder to get a hold of now, that might be some other kind of right-wing extremists."
At the end of the 4 p.m. ET hour, he again tossed out the idea that a "right-wing extremist group" could have carried out the bombings:
"I think the actual – the constituency inside the bomb will make a big difference about how we identify the person who did this," he explained, adding that the perpetrators "could be a right-wing extremist group" if the matter inside the bomb was not hydrogen peroxide, which he said is a "signature" of an al Qaeda attack.
In his discourse, Bergen linked a "right-wing group" to an attempted bombing of a 2011 Martin Luther King parade in Spokane, Washington, but he flubbed the facts, saying it took place in "Oregon" in "2010" and blaming a "right-wing group" when the perpetrator was one man, Kevin Harpham, who had been linked to white supremacist groups.
Bergen's mention of the 2011 bombing attempt was starving for facts, however.
CNN
THE LEAD
4/15/13
[4:19 p.m. EDT]
JAKE TAPPER: Peter, does this – obviously we don't want to speculate.
We don't know what this was. But is there reason for people who deal in
counter-terrorism to think that this is an act of terrorism? Or suspect
it strongly, at least?
PETER BERGEN: Sure. Although I'm reminded of Oklahoma City which was a
bombing, which was initially treated as a gas explosion. So first
reports are often erroneous. But the fact that there were two explosions
– two bombings – one of the things I'd be looking at is once the
device, if it is a device, is found, what kind of explosives were used?
For instance, if it was hydrogen peroxide, this is a signature of
al-Qaeda. If it was more conventional explosives, which are much
harder to get a hold of now, that might be some other kind of
right-wing extremists. We've seen a number of failed bombing
attempts by al-Qaeda using bombs, (Unintelligible) and for instance, the
Manhattan subway in 2009, Faisal Shahzad in 2010, the attempt to bring
down Northwest Flight 253 over Detroit in 2009. But we've also
seen other extremist groups, right-wing groups, for instance, trying to
attack the Martin Luther King parade in Oregon in 2010.
(...)
[4:59]
TAPPER: And Peter, what are you waiting to hear for – hear about in these coming hours?
BERGEN: I think the actual – the constituency inside the bomb will make
a big difference about how we identify the person who did this. Or the
persons who did this. Because if it's hydrogen peroxide, that puts
(Unintelligible). If it's something else –
TAPPER: Could be a different –
BERGEN: – could be a right-wing extremist group. Or some other group.