Nutter Condemns Boston Bombing; Philly-To-Boston Plane Evacuated

In his role as the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Philly Mayor Michael Nutter today issued a statement about the bombings at the Boston Marathon:

“The thoughts and prayers of the nation’s mayors are with the victims of yesterday’s senseless bombings at the Boston Marathon, Mayor Tom Menino, and all of the people of Boston. Keeping our citizens and our cities safe is the first responsibility of every mayor.  Working with our police and other public safety officials we do whatever we can to stay ahead of the next insane thing someone or some group might do.  We do the best we can to plan for the known and the unknown and to respond when something does occur.  Boston’s response to the bombings was extraordinary and exemplary, with police and emergency personnel immediately on the scene, caring for those who were injured and beginning the investigation to determine who was responsible for this heinous crime and why it was committed.

“The bombings happened on Patriot’s Day in Boston and in Massachusetts, the day which commemorates the start of the Revolutionary War, the beginning of America’s fight for freedom and independence.  Regardless of the motive behind the bombings, they are an assault on our freedom and on our nation.

“The U.S. Conference of Mayors stands with Mayor Menino, Police Commissioner Ed Davis, Governor Deval Patrick and all of those who will help the victims of this horrific tragedy and the people of Boston to heal.  Boston is a resilient city, and this is a resilient nation.  Together we will get through this and we will be stronger than ever.”

In other local news related to the Boston tragedy, Nutter and other officials say they’ll tighten security at the Broad Street Run going forward. Our colleague Emily Leaman comments:

I guess I’ve never really looked for it, but I can’t for the life of me picture any visible security that I’ve noticed at the last three Broad Street Runs, though I’m sure they were there. I’ll be curious to see if the starting line procedure is less chaotic and more orderly than last year, perhaps with a stronger police presence.

And finally, a Philly-to-Boston plane was evacuated at Logan Airport this morning after a clerk got nervous about a piece of baggage that fell off a cart:

ABC News also reports that the bomb squad was called, but has cleared the scene.

In a statement, U.S. Airways said “Our first priority is the safety of our passengers and we are working closely with Boston airport and law enforcement authorities on this situation. All passengers have safely deplaned and have been moved to a building near the terminal at this time.”

It’ll probably be awhile before people settle down.