Official Washington, D.C. had no immediate answers on Tuesday for who or what group might have been behind the bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, as lawmakers refused to speculate on those responsible, while President Obama again vowed to track down the culprits.
"This was a heinous and cowardly act," the President said in a statement from the White House Briefing Room, as he said the FBI was operating under the assumption that this was "an act of terrorism."
"Any time bombs are used to target innocent civilians it is an act of terror. What we don’t yet know, however, is who carried out this attack, or why; whether it was planned and executed by a terrorist organization, foreign or domestic, or was the act of a malevolent individual. That's what we don't yet know. And clearly, we’re at the beginning of our investigation," the President added.
As for who did this, or what terror group might be responsible, the President readily acknowledged those answers weren't available.
"It will take time to follow every lead and determine what happened. But we will find out. We will find whoever harmed our citizens and we will bring them to justice," Mr. Obama added.
On Capitol Hill, lamwakers on the House and Senate Intelligence panels had no inside information either, making clear there was no intelligence "chatter" that could have uncovered this attack before it happened.
"There was just no advanced warning from an intel perspective," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
"We had nothing swirling around in Boston," Chambliss said just off the Senate floor.
Asked whether he would point a finger at a domestic or overseas group or individual, Chambliss would not.
"It would be premature to say this was a domestic act of terrorism or that this came form overseas," he added.
"The people in charge are trying to figure out what actually happened," said Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), who is on the House Intelligence Committee.
"Don't jump to any conclusions," Thompson said.
As for whether this attack in Boston was part of something else, the President's top homeland defense official said there was no hint of that at such an early point in the investigation.
"While there is no current indication to suggest that the events in Boston are indicative of a broader plot, out of an abundance of caution, DHS continues to keep in place enhanced security measures at transportation hubs," said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
"We continue to urge the American public to remain vigilant and immediately report any signs of suspicious activity to local law enforcement officials," echoing the President's call for people to "speak up" if they see something that seems suspicious.
