Millions across the world saw these photos instantly.And this video of the suspects on a surveillance tape from a store across the street from the marathon finish line.“Today we are enlisting the public’s help in identifying the two suspects,” said Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI special agent Richard DesLauriers.The FBI photos of suspect 1 and suspect 2, as they were known at the time, were instantaneously tweeted and re-tweeted.Facebooked and facebook shared. This is the world we live in now. Immediate access. Active citizen involvement.“This is a very serious situation we are dealing with. We would appreciate your cooperation," said Massachusetts State Police Col. Tim Alben.So thousands of marathon spectators flipped through their cell phone photos and videos - to see if they could match the suspects.They re-posted the FBI website address. But the social media aspect had a downside - when the public made a mismatch and targeted an innocent bystander.FBI special agent in charge Richard DesLauriers warned against rash judgments.“Other photos should not be deemed credible, and they unnecessarily divert the public’s attention in the wrong direction and create undue work for vital law enforcement resources,” he said.Eventually police got a clearer look at both suspects - brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.And, through Tamerlan's YouTube page, discovered his support of jihad or Islamic holy war.In the end, it was not a printed news release, phone calls or a news conference that announced the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
