President Barack Obama wrapped up a grueling week for the nation by hailing a victory — the capture and arrest of the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings.
"We've closed an important chapter in this tragedy," Obama said in the White House briefing room shortly after 10 p.m. Friday night. The "terrorists" in Boston failed, he said, "because the people of Boston refused to be intimidated."
Obama addressed the nation after a surprising twist in the Boston case. After a near 24-hour manhunt, police took suspect Dzhokar Tsarnaev into custody late Friday night. Obama spoke after officials wrapped up their press conference in Boston, and he hailed local and federal law enforcement for their work this week.
Obama said that though one suspect had been apprehended and the other killed early Friday morning, there were still plenty of unanswered questions, including whether the two suspects had any help.
"Why did young men who grew up and studied here ... resort to such violence?" he asked.
"We will determine how this happened. We will investigate any associations that these terrorists may have had," he added.
But he cautioned against rushing to judgment, warning against accepting "reporting, tweets, and blogs" at face value.
Obama also made mention of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, which has claimed at least 14 lives. He pledged that his administration would continue to provide resources to the area, saying he has been in contact with local officials and Gov. Rick Perry.
After his press conference, he signed a disaster declaration. That wrapped up a tough week — one he said tested the resolve of the American people, who passed with flying colors.
"All in all this has been a tough week, but we have seen the character of our country once more," he said. "And as president, I'm confident that we have the courage and the resilience and the spirit to overcome these challenges and to go forward as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
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