WASHINGTON:
The head of the Boston police department has called on the FBI to share more intelligence about terror suspects, revealing that his officers were not made aware that one of the suspects behind the marathon bombing had travelled to Russia.
Commissioner Edward Davis told a US Senate hearing that he believed the FBI should in the future be mandated to inform police departments when it has information “that poses a threat to our cities”.
Speaking on the day that one of the bombing suspects, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was due to appear in court for the first time,
Davis told senators that there was a “gap” in intelligence sharing at the highest level.
“If there is information about a terrorist threat to the city, the local officials should have that information. There should be a mandate somewhere, that the federal authorities have to share that, so we can properly defend our community, “he told the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
“I am not saying anything was done wrong here. I am not saying we would have done anything differently if we had the information the FBI had prior to this. What I am saying is there should be a full, equal partnership, where everyone is sharing.”
Three people were killed and more than 260 people were injured when improvised bombs were detonated in the final stretch of the Boston Marathon three months ago.
A police officer was later shot dead by the suspected bombers, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who were originally from Chechnya but living in the US.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died following a confrontation with police three days after the attacks, but Dzhokhar, 19, survived.
It later emerged that the older sibling spent six months in Russia last year, spending time in a region known for militant Islamic activity.
The FBI reportedly investigated Tamerlan Tsarnaev after a request from Russian officials, but did not pursue charges.
Davis said he had four officers on the joint terrorism task force, which is supposed to share intelligence about terrorist threats “But we were not aware of the information on Tsarnaev's travel overseas,” he said.
Boston police ask FBI to share terror alerts - DAWN.COM