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| Senator accuses US of 'intelligence failings' in tracking Tamerlan Tsarnaev | Senator accuses US of 'intelligence failings' in tracking Tamerlan Tsarnaev |
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| The Boston bombings have become a "case study in intelligence failings", a Republican senator warned on Thursday as US authorities came under increasing pressure over their handling of the case. | The Boston bombings have become a "case study in intelligence failings", a Republican senator warned on Thursday as US authorities came under increasing pressure over their handling of the case. |
| Senators emerged from new briefings by the FBI on Capitol Hill with concerns over how a number of US agencies handled warnings from Russia about one of the suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed during a botched escape attempt after the marathon bombings last week. | Senators emerged from new briefings by the FBI on Capitol Hill with concerns over how a number of US agencies handled warnings from Russia about one of the suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed during a botched escape attempt after the marathon bombings last week. |
| Police in Boston, meanwhile, were facing questions over how they handled the manhunt for his younger brother, Djhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, as new details emerged that contradicted earlier accounts given by senior officers. | Police in Boston, meanwhile, were facing questions over how they handled the manhunt for his younger brother, Djhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, as new details emerged that contradicted earlier accounts given by senior officers. |
| The issue threatens to become a major political challenge for the White House, whose opponents have drawn links between Boston and other recent intelligence setbacks such as the attack on the US embassy in Libya last year. | The issue threatens to become a major political challenge for the White House, whose opponents have drawn links between Boston and other recent intelligence setbacks such as the attack on the US embassy in Libya last year. |
| US officials have confirmed that Russia's intelligence service, the FSB, contacted first the FBI and then the CIA with concerns about Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011. Both agencies investigated the concerns but came to the same conclusion: that Tsarnaev was not a threat. | US officials have confirmed that Russia's intelligence service, the FSB, contacted first the FBI and then the CIA with concerns about Tamerlan Tsarnaev in 2011. Both agencies investigated the concerns but came to the same conclusion: that Tsarnaev was not a threat. |
| The FBI nevertheless asked that Tsarnaev's name be added to a database used by US border officials, according to the Associated Press. The CIA concluded that Tsarnaev, pictured, should be added another, larger database that contains the names of more than 700,000 terror suspects, but the spelling of Tsarnaev's name was different from the one used by the FBI. | The FBI nevertheless asked that Tsarnaev's name be added to a database used by US border officials, according to the Associated Press. The CIA concluded that Tsarnaev, pictured, should be added another, larger database that contains the names of more than 700,000 terror suspects, but the spelling of Tsarnaev's name was different from the one used by the FBI. |
| Three days before Tsarnaev left for Russia in January last year, an alert was generated on Tsarnaev. By that time, the FBI's investigation into Tsarnaev had been closed for nearly six months. | Three days before Tsarnaev left for Russia in January last year, an alert was generated on Tsarnaev. By that time, the FBI's investigation into Tsarnaev had been closed for nearly six months. |
| When Tsarnaev's airline submitted its passenger list to the US government for security screening, it misspelled his name, and there was no repeat of the earlier alert. When Tsarnaev later returned to the US, in July, another alert was generated. But because the FBI had closed its investigation into Tsarnaev a year earlier, it concluded there was no reason to be suspicious of Tsarnaev's travels to Russia. | When Tsarnaev's airline submitted its passenger list to the US government for security screening, it misspelled his name, and there was no repeat of the earlier alert. When Tsarnaev later returned to the US, in July, another alert was generated. But because the FBI had closed its investigation into Tsarnaev a year earlier, it concluded there was no reason to be suspicious of Tsarnaev's travels to Russia. |
| Senator Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has been vocal in his criticisms of past intelligence failings, was scathing when he emerged from the latest briefing on Capitol Hill. "You have Russian intelligence services warning two agencies in the federal government that they believe we have a radical Islamist in our midst," he said. "We do interviews, however this individual is able to go back to Dagestan and re-enter the country." | Senator Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has been vocal in his criticisms of past intelligence failings, was scathing when he emerged from the latest briefing on Capitol Hill. "You have Russian intelligence services warning two agencies in the federal government that they believe we have a radical Islamist in our midst," he said. "We do interviews, however this individual is able to go back to Dagestan and re-enter the country." |
| Graham said officials had failed to pick up on Russian concerns. "It gets worse. Information is on the internet for months about killing Americans and we were unable to join the dots … Boston has become, to me, a case study in system failure." He went on to link Boston with the previous alleged failings in Libya: "Between Benghazi and Boston, our systems for dealing with this are going backwards." In Boston meanwhile, more details emerged about the hours before the surviving suspect was captured. According to reports in the New York Times and the Washington Post, officials now concede that Djhokhar Tsarnaev was unarmed when he was detained, after the boat in which he was hiding was showered in a hail of gunshots. It has also emerged that the boat was within the search perimeter laid down by local police, contrary to the earlier assertions of senior officers. | Graham said officials had failed to pick up on Russian concerns. "It gets worse. Information is on the internet for months about killing Americans and we were unable to join the dots … Boston has become, to me, a case study in system failure." He went on to link Boston with the previous alleged failings in Libya: "Between Benghazi and Boston, our systems for dealing with this are going backwards." In Boston meanwhile, more details emerged about the hours before the surviving suspect was captured. According to reports in the New York Times and the Washington Post, officials now concede that Djhokhar Tsarnaev was unarmed when he was detained, after the boat in which he was hiding was showered in a hail of gunshots. It has also emerged that the boat was within the search perimeter laid down by local police, contrary to the earlier assertions of senior officers. |
| Photo and video footage showed bullet holes in the boat, and the boat's owner described it as looking "like Swiss cheese". After Tsarnaev was detained, Boston police commissioner Ed Davis claimed police had "exchanged gunfire with the suspect who was inside the boat". But it has now emerged that no weapon was recovered from the boat and Tsarnaev was unarmed. | Photo and video footage showed bullet holes in the boat, and the boat's owner described it as looking "like Swiss cheese". After Tsarnaev was detained, Boston police commissioner Ed Davis claimed police had "exchanged gunfire with the suspect who was inside the boat". But it has now emerged that no weapon was recovered from the boat and Tsarnaev was unarmed. |
| In fact, only one gun connected to the Tsarnaevs has been recovered, from the scene of the shootout where Tamerlan died on Thursday night. Multiple reports said the serial number had been removed. | In fact, only one gun connected to the Tsarnaevs has been recovered, from the scene of the shootout where Tamerlan died on Thursday night. Multiple reports said the serial number had been removed. |
| Speaking after the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Davis said that the boat where the suspect had been hiding was "outside of the perimeter" established by officers. But Davis now says the boat was inside the perimeter. "It was an area that should have been checked," he said. "We are not sure how long he was in the boat. There was a pool of blood near where the car was dumped about four or five blocks away from the boat." | Speaking after the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Davis said that the boat where the suspect had been hiding was "outside of the perimeter" established by officers. But Davis now says the boat was inside the perimeter. "It was an area that should have been checked," he said. "We are not sure how long he was in the boat. There was a pool of blood near where the car was dumped about four or five blocks away from the boat." |
| Davis said the circumstances of the capture of Tsarnaev would be reviewed. "We will have to see what prompted the volley of shots before the cease-fire was ordered by a superintendent of the Boston police," he said. | Davis said the circumstances of the capture of Tsarnaev would be reviewed. "We will have to see what prompted the volley of shots before the cease-fire was ordered by a superintendent of the Boston police," he said. |
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