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Martin Richard: Boston Marathon bombings victim aged 8 was waiting to give father a hug at finish line

By C. J. Refsland on April 16, 2013 • ( 0 )

Our hearts and prayers are with this family, indeed God is With Us, praying for comfort and peace for this family and others affected.

An eight-year-old boy waiting at the finish line to give his father a hug was among three people killed and more than 152 injured when two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon in the worst terrorist atrocity since 9/11.

Martin Richard died after bombs hidden in trash cans were detonated within 12 seconds of each other during the Patriots’ Day bank holiday yesterday, sending terrified runners and spectators fleeing for their lives and leaving a scene of ‘unspeakable horror’.

Boston police closed off the city as a ‘danger zone’ as witnesses described seeing body parts flying through the air and shoes that ‘still had flesh in them’ in an attack that has sent shockwaves across the world.

Seventeen of the injured are in a critical condition and CNN reported that at least 10 victims have needed amputations.

At least eight of the wounded are thought to be children, including a two-year-old boy who suffered a head injury.

Another was 11-year-old Aaron Hern, of Martinez, California, who was hit by flying shrapnel in his thigh as he waited for his mother to cross the finish line. He is being treated at Boston Children’s Hospital and is expected to undergo further surgeries.

Today, as the United States remained on full alert, President Barack Obama vowed to hunt down the culprits and ‘hold them accountable’.

Investigators do not know of a motive for the bombers, nor do they have a specific suspect. But last night detectives raided a Boston home after a man, said to be of Saudi origin, was arrested at the scene for acting suspiciously and taken to hospital, where he was treated for burns and shrapnel wounds.

Tragic: Martin Richard, right, is pictured with his family. His mother, Denise, has undergone brain surgery and his six-year-old sister Jane lost a leg in the blast, while his older brother, Henry, 12, escaped injury. They were at marathon to watch his father, Bill, cross the finish line

Loved: Peace is written on the sidewalk in front of the Richard house in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, left, while neighbors embrace in the street

Blast: Runners continue to run towards the finish line of the Boston Marathon as an explosion erupts near the finish line of the race

Exact Moment: People react as an explosion goes off near the finish at the Boston Marathon finish line on Monday, sending authorities out on the course to carry off the injured

But when Mr Richard walked on, the youngster turned back to rejoin his mother and two of his siblings just as the first bomb exploded.

His six-year-old sister lost a leg in the blast and his mother Denise is in hospital after undergoing brain surgery. Martin’s older brother, believed to be in the fifth grade, escaped injury.

According to 7News, a candle was lit outside the family home and the word ‘Peace’ written on the pavement.

Mr Richard is understood to be a popular community leader in the Boston suburb. Martin was a keen baseball player, climber and runner and was a member of Savin Hill Little League team. On Twitter, Maeve O Brien called him ‘the sweetest little boy I’ve ever met’.

As the FBI took over the investigation, authorities shared no information about a motive or who may have carried out the bombings, and police said they did not have any suspects in custody.

Officials said there was no immediate claim of responsibility, while an official told CNN that there was no surveillance footage of the bombs being planted.

Innocent: Martin Richard, left, was killed in the blast, while 11-year-old Aaron Hern, right, was injured with shrapnel while waiting for his mother to finish the race

Mail Online.