At least three people have been killed and more than 140 others hurt after two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon.
The blasts ripped through the crowd near the finish line of what is the world's oldest marathon.
They took place almost simultaneously about 100m apart, knocking spectators and at least one runner off their feet.
As the second bomb erupted, spectators' cheers turned to screams and a pool of blood formed on the ground.
Windows were shattered and dense plumes of smoke rose over the street, as national flags lining the course fluttered.
More than 25,000 people were registered as taking part in the race, 374 of whom were British. There were also 108 Irish athletes.
The Associated Press reported that an eight-year-old boy was among the dead. Of the 144 reported injured, 17 are critical.
Barack Obama vowed to find and punish those responsible, as a senior White House official said the attacks were being treated as an act of terrorism.
Mr Obama pointedly avoided using the words "terror" or "terrorism", saying officials "still do not know who did this or why".
But he vowed: "We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."
The explosions happened about two hours after the men's winner had crossed the line, as amateur runners were reaching the finish.
More than 17,000 competitors had completed the race by the time the blasts struck but thousands of others were still taking part.
TV helicopter footage showed blood on the pavement in the popular shopping and tourist area known as the Back Bay.
Runners in the medical tent being treated for dehydration or other race-related problems were pushed out to make room for bombing victims.
A woman near the second bomb, Brighid Wall, 35, said runners and spectators had frozen, unsure of what to do.
Her husband threw their children to the ground, lay on top of them and another man lay on top of them and said, "Don't get up, don't get up."
She said she saw six to eight people bleeding profusely, including one man who was kneeling, dazed, with blood coming down his head. Another person was on the ground covered in blood and not moving.
"My ears are zinging. Their ears are zinging. It was so forceful. It knocked us to the ground," she said.
Runner Tim Davey, from Virginia, was with wife Lisa and their children in a medical tent set up for exhausted runners. "They just started bringing people in with no limbs," he said.
Roupen Bastajian, 35, a state police officer from Rhode Island, had just finished the race and been handed a heat blanket when he heard the blasts.
"I started running toward the blast. And there were people all over the floor," he said. "We started grabbing tourniquets and started tying legs.
"A lot of people amputated. ... At least 25 to 30 people have at least one leg missing, or an ankle missing, or two legs missing."
There were reports of a third blast at the JFK library a few miles away but that was later confirmed as a fire that was believed to be unrelated to the blasts.
A senior US intelligence official said another two unexploded bombs were found near the end of the 26.2mile (42km) course but had been safely disarmed.
No-one has yet been arrested, although officers reportedly searched an apartment in the Boston suburb of Revere on Monday night.
Massachusetts State Police confirmed a search warrant related to the investigation had been granted for the suburb but gave no further details.
A no-fly zone was also put in place over the city as security was tightened and flights bound for Boston's Logan International Airport were briefly held up at other airports.
At the White House, the Secret Service expanded its security perimeter - although it was not put on complete lockdown.
The Boston marathon is held on Patriots Day, a Massachusetts state holiday which commemorates the first battles of the American Revolution in 1775.
It attracts more than 500,000 spectators and ends in the heart of central Boston.
People were asked to stay indoors or return to their hotels as bomb squads methodically checked parcels and bags left along the route.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said the authorities had received "no specific intelligence that anything was going to happen".
At Massachusetts General Hospital, Alisdair Conn, chief of emergency services, said: "This is something I've never seen in my 25 years here ... this amount of carnage in the civilian population. This is what we expect from war."
British police are now reviewing security plans for this Sunday's London Marathon - the next major international marathon.
Boston Police said there is a helpline in the US for concerned relatives: 617 635 4500, and anybody with information about the blasts should call 1 800 494 tips.
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