The MO matches an attempted bombing of a Martin Luther King Day Parade in Spokane two years ago, and over the last week it's been pretty clear that some kind of new gun-control bill is going to pass, so my prime suspect is (or was) some kind or right-wing militia or right-wing lone wolf, like Eric Rudolph.

I say "or was" because there was a report, late in the day yesterday, that police are looking for a young black or dark-skinned man in a hooded sweatshirt who was seen, 5 minutes before the first detonation, trying to push his way into a restricted area while wearing (or carrying, not sure) a black nylon backpack that matches the (possible) description of the other bomb(s). If that report is accurate, it makes the motive more likely to be revenge for American killings of Muslim civilians in Iraq, Pakistan, and/or Yemen.

But those are only the two leading causes on a list of over half a dozen that I compiled right after the attack, none of them all that certain. Or, for that matter, none of them even likely; there are so many possible suspect groups that I wouldn't rank any of them above 30% or so. I don't think they're going to solve this one by researching the motive angle, especially not without a credible claim of responsibility. I think the FBI is almost certainly focusing few or none of their resources on why did it happen, and most of their resources on canvasing stores in the region that sell black powder and/or ball bearings looking for a bulk purchase or repeat purchases.