NY Post’s ‘Saudi National’ Story Untrue, BPD Spokesman Says [Update]

The New York Post‘s earlier report that a “Saudi national” was in guarded custody after the Boston Marathon bombing appears to have been an unconfirmed rumor, and Boston Police deny any part of the conjecture is true.

Update: BPD confirms that no suspect is in custody and no persons of interest are being questioned as of 6 PM EST.

Both NY Post and “Saudi national” were heavily buzzed about terms in social news this afternoon, but the story appears to have been entirely unconfirmed. According to the BPD, no individual is currently in custody in connection to the Boston Marathon bombing, and authorities on the ground in the city appear to be bewildered as to the source of the information.

As the Saudi Arabian national story spread, many expressed skepticism given the NY Post was the sole source of the Boston bombing arrest report.

The original story, as we reported, reported some specific details about the alleged Saudi suspect:

“Law enforcement sources said the 20-year-old suspect was under guard at an undisclosed Boston hospital … Fox News reported that the suspect suffered severe burns … It was not immediately clear why the man was hospitalized and whether he was injured in the attack or in his apprehension … The man was caught less than two hours after the 2:50 p.m. bombing on the finish line of the race, in the heart of Boston.”

TPM reports that a BPD spokesman denied any arrests, of a Saudi Arabian man or any other person, saying of the NY Post story:

“Honestly, I don’t know where they’re getting their information from, but it didn’t come from us.”

However, it is also reported that the FBI declined comment on the NY Post‘s Saudi Arabian national story, and no further major news sources have reported similar information.