By Brian Bennett
Tribune Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Five days before two bombs tore through crowds at the Boston Marathon, an intelligence report identified the finish line of the race as an "area of increased vulnerability" and warned Boston police that extremists may use "small scale bombings" to attack spectators and runners at the event.
The 18-page report was written by the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, a command center funded in part by the Department of Homeland Security that helps disseminate intelligence information to local police and first responders.
The "joint special event assessment" is dated April 10. It notes that at the time there was "no credible, specific information indicating an imminent threat" to the race.
"The FBI has not identified any specific lone offender or extremist group who pose a threat to the Boston marathon," the report reads.
Massachusetts authorities dismissed the center's warning as routine and lacking specifics.
"The assessment about start and finish lines being potential targets was considered and reflected in security plans for the event, as they have been every year," David Procopio, a spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police, said in a statement.