Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) wants an intelligence briefing after the FBI revealed on Friday that it had questioned Tamerlan Tsarbaev two years ago, but found no links to terrorism. Tsarnaev, Friday morning dead in a shoot out with the police, was interviewed by the FBI in the summer of 2011 at the request of Russia.
The FBI said in a statement released Saturday that the agency had investigated Tsarnaev after receiving intelligence from a foreign government that he was "a follower of radical Islam and a strong believer, and that he had changed drastically since 2010." That government - evidently Russia - feared that Tsarnaev was preparing to leave the US to travel to that country "to join unspecified underground groups." The Russians were worried about Tsarnaev's possible connections to Chechen extremists.
The FBI said it checked federal databases, looking for "derogatory telephone communications, possible use of online sites associated with the promotion of radical activity, associations with other persons of interest, travel history and plans, and education history."
The FBI said it interviewed Tsarnaev and other family members in Boston but did not find any links to terrorism.
The FBI forwarded their findings to the foreign government in the summer of 2011, and asked for specific additional information. The FBI said it never received a reply.
It appears Tamerlan became radicalized in recent months. He visited “relatives” in Chechnya last year. US officials report that he flew to Moscow in January, 2012, and returned to the US six months later.
I say the Ruskies know more... the plot is thickening!