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Critical question is 'whether this is foreign or domestic' attack: House Homeland Cmte Chair

Rep.
A woman is comforted by a man near a triage tent set up for the Boston Marathon after explosions went off at the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston, Massachusetts April 15, 2013.(Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters)
A woman is comforted by a man near a triage tent set up for the Boston Marathon after explosions went off at the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston,...

Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House committee on Homeland Security, said the critical question now in the Boston bombing is "whether this is a foreign attack or a domestic attack."

"We just don’t know,”  McCaul said on Tuesday’s Morning Joe.

McCaul noted the tragedy of the event and called it an act of terrorism.

“Simultaneous bombings, mass casualties, a spectacular event?” McCaul said. “Those are all the ingredients that are in [terrorist attacks.] We saw that unfortunately yesterday, which leads me to call it an act of terrorism.”

A pair of bombs at the final mile of the Boston marathon yesterday killed three and left more than 170 injured.

The White House also said the attack would be treated as “an act of terror,” but the president cautioned the country not to assume anything.

"We still do not know who did this or why-and people shouldn't jump to conclusions before we have all the facts," President Barack Obama said from the White House briefing room Monday night. "Make no mistake we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this, and we will find out why they did this. Any responsible groups will feel the full weight of justice."