Only days ahead of the 128th Boston Marathon, the FBI announced there are no threats to the race, but still urged the public to remain vigilant.
“At this point in time, the FBI is not aware of any specific or credible threats targeting this year’s marathon,” Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge at the Boston FBI field office, said at a press conference Friday. “While we are confident in this assessment, we are asking you to remain vigilant because the threat landscape can change at any time.”
Friday’s press conference centered on public safety and general preparations ahead of the marathon Monday. Federal, state and local public safety officials discussed planning efforts and what spectators can expect for the race and days leading up to it.
The FBI expects to deploy more than 150 personnel to support the marathon, according to Cohen. Agents, analysts and officers assigned to the Joint Terrorism Task Forces will be integrated throughout all aspects of the route.
“Our highly trained specialty teams, including special agent bomb techs, evidence response, hazardous material response and SWAT, will be ready to respond,” Cohen said. “FBI personnel will be embedded within command posts to share intelligence [and] monitor and investigate any real time threat information we receive.”
Cohen noted the FBI’s most immediate concern is “homegrown violent extremists, or lone actors, who self-radicalize with little to no warning and look to attack soft targets.”
“While this is certainly a time for heightened vigilance, it is by no means a time to panic and stop going about our daily day,” she said.
Jack Fleming, president and CEO of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), the main organizer of the event, also spoke at the press conference Friday, noting the BAA could not put on the annual race the way it does without the support of public safety organizations and roughly 9,500 volunteers in the eight cities and towns the marathon route cuts through.
“They are a big part of history,” Fleming said.
This year’s theme of the event is “History in the Making,” celebrating the 100th anniversary of the race starting in Hopkinton, according to Fleming. The event is the world’s oldest annual marathon, he pointed out.
“We’re celebrating all those who realized the dream of making it to Hopkinton, but also the entire journey and those who crossed the finish line in Boston,” Fleming said. “The legacy of the Boston Marathon is defined by the unique spirit embodied by the eight cities and towns, each spectator’s cheer and every volunteer’s eagerness to lend a hand and every participant’s desire to be part of the history.”
There are roughly 30,000 people who will be participating in the marathon, including nearly 4,500 from Massachusetts. Runners are coming from 129 different countries and all 50 states, Fleming noted.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu spoke at Friday’s press conference as well, talking about the importance of the marathon and public safety preparations. She recalled joining the Boston Police Department in its briefing Thursday among all of its law enforcement partners along the route.
“They were discussing every little detail, even tweaks from last year to ensure that traffic flow would go as smoothly as possible in the parts that may be impacted and that safety is always paramount,” Wu said.
Wu said the Boston police, EMS, fire, transportation and emergency management departments have been working closely to ensure everyone’s safety.
This year, the Boston Marathon falls on “One Boston Day” to honor and commemorate the tragedy and loss the community experienced on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, Wu noted.
“In the spirit of community, every year since then, Boston has come together on April 15 to perform acts of love and kindness for one another,” the mayor said. “Everyone, whether you’re a longtime Bostonian or just visiting us on race day, everyone is invited to join us this weekend as we perform acts of kindness and service throughout the city.”
The mayor also discussed her interactions with race participants in the days leading up to the marathon.
Last week, Wu joined a man by the name of Rob, who is a member of the running group “Black Men Run” and who is “deeply involved in arts and culture” in Boston, on his morning commute from Roslindale to work. They talked about how he got into running, how many marathons he already has run and how this race is special because it will mark the first time he has run the Boston Marathon.
“It was such an inspiration to be able to see into the everyday life of someone who’s doing something so extraordinary on Monday, and Rob is one of tens of thousands of runners we’re excited to cheer on in just a couple days,” Wu said.