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Former FBI agent "Eureka moment" In search of the Boston Marathon bombers

In the two-part premiere episode of the Paramount+ series FBI True Season 2, viewers meet three officers — former FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Rick Deslieres, retired FBI Special Agent Nancy Aguilar and retired Watertown Police Sgt. John McClellan — who worked together to locate, locate, and arrest the Boston Marathon bombers. Stream episodes now on Paramount+.

On April 15, 2013, Rick Dessauliers was planning to retire from his post as FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Division, when he heard the news: Two large explosions had occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

His retirement plans, which had been set in motion that morning, were put on hold so he could help lead the FBI’s search for the suspected bombers.

“You know, I knew we had serious work to do. I had to be a leader. I had to be strong. But for a few minutes there, I just shook my head and said, ‘God, I’m in this job too. Long,'” the FBI told Season. 2, a 26-year veteran of the FBI, said Deslauriers while detailing the investigation in the two-part premiere episode.

Three people died in the murder- Crystal Campbell, 29, Lingzhi Lu, 23, And Martin Richard, 8 – and injured hundreds more.

“It was a scene of terrible, terrible destruction,” Desalreus said. “There was evidence everywhere, on top of our cars, on top of windows, on top of buildings.”

Boston residents were on edge and feared more attacks. People were asked to shelter in place and avoid large gatherings. Law enforcement was racing to find those responsible and prevent further attacks.

The DesLauriers assembled a team to search for evidence at the scene. There, investigators found explosive-filled pressure cooker bomb fragments and shrapnel — nails, screws and bolts. DesLauriers and his team declared it a terrorist attack — one that had no motive or suspect.

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Rick Deslauriers discusses his role in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing investigation.

Paramount+ / See It Now Studios

The most significant break in the investigation came a few days later on April 17, 2013. That’s when the FBI’s Computer Analysis and Response Team showed Dessauliers surveillance video from the site of the second bombing. Caught in the video was a man.

“He had on a baseball hat with a bill pointed backwards, and a backpack on his back. And you see him come in, and he looks just like anybody else,” Deslieres recalled. “He stands in front of the camera and he finally drops the backpack on the ground. And a few minutes later, he makes a cell phone call. Then he hangs up. And then, from the east on Boylston Street, you see the impact of the first bomb. Everyone looks to the left, what exactly happened? This gentleman in the white hat calmly walks away. And after about 5 seconds he leaves the field of vision. The second bomb explodes. You just see the terrible destruction – the terrible destruction.”

“At that moment, I knew we had a bomber,” Deslieres said.

After collecting more video evidence from businesses on Boylston Street, the FBI identified two potential suspects — both wearing hats, carrying backpacks and walking along the race track.

“That was kind of the eureka moment of the investigation. We knew we had a visual depiction of the bombers,” Desseliers said. “We just had to find out who they were.”

On April 18, 2013, the images were shared at a press conference, and law enforcement asked for the public’s help in tracking them down. When Deslauriers returned home that night, he learned that Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Officer Sean Collier had been killed while sitting in his police cruiser.

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On April 18, 2013, officials shared photos of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects at a press conference and asked for the American public’s help in identifying them.

Paramount+ / See It Now Studios

The suspects also carjacked a man in a Mercedes, who managed to escape an hour later. A police officer in Watertown, Massachusetts spotted the car and began following them. The Mercedes stopped. Police say the driver began firing at the officer.

“Around 1:00 a.m., I got a phone call from Jeff Sallet,” said Desseliers. “Jeff told me, ‘Boss, you know the people who killed the campus police officer at MIT, they’re our bombers, and they’re on the run now, and they’re throwing more bombs at Watertown police officers in Watertown.'”

The driver was shot multiple times. He was then hit by an accomplice driving a Mercedes. The FBI ran a fingerprint test and identified him as Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Desalreus said.

“He was on the FBI’s radar screen before the bombings,” Desseliers added. “And then we soon determined that he had a younger brother named Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.”

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Abandoned the Mercedes in Watertown and boarded a boat behind a nearby house. The homeowner called the police when he noticed that the cover on his boat had been ripped off. An FBI hostage negotiation team responded to convince Karabanev to exit the boat. He eventually surrendered.

“And that’s when I had the most intense sense of relief in my life,” said Desseliers.

“When I was coming home, people were coming out of businesses, just waving American flags, cheering law enforcement,” said Des Lauriers, who Retired July 2013, withdrawn. “It was one of the most moving things in my 26-year career at the FBI.”

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