A local Homeland Security expert is weighing in on the terrorism attack at the Boston Marathon Monday. WBFO's Eileen Buckley spoke with Steven MacMartin, director of the Homeland Security program at Medaille College in Buffalo. MacMartin says all signs point to domestic terrorism. "A small group. They are not really aligned with anybody, but it could be foreign born people living in the United States. It is just so hard to tell," said MacMartin.
Investigators are probing the composition of the explosives. They will also try to trace back components of the bombs to find where they were purchased.
"Generally there are ways to determine where the components were sold and possibly who bought them," said MacMartin. "Another thing they are doing now is scanning and covering all the cameras, the photographic evidence that would have been in the area. There are a lot of cameras you don't think of."
MacMartin tells WBFO News despite a final sweep for explosives conducted by police, an area was still vulnerable.
"And everyone coming in and out of that scene had a backpack. Without locking the system down, there is no way to totally control that," said MacMartin. "Explosives were probably planted after that last sweep."
Martin says the United State has done a "remarkable" job in keeping watch on safety since the attacks of 9-11.
But MacMartin admits -- it is difficult to maintain a "heighten state of alert" over a long period of time.
Citizens are urged to always be on the watch for suspicious behavior.