Frosty relationship with Russia may have hampered the FBI's probe into Boston bombing suspect

The U.S. government has been reluctant to accept Russia’s assertion that Chechnya is a breeding ground for extremists – U.S. officials believe Russia is trying to drag the U.S. into its war. The skepticism may have played a role in how Russia’s warning about Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was handled. The FBI interviewed Tsarnaev in 2011, but says it found no terrorism activity at the time. It appears the bureau did not follow up after Tsarnaev spent six months in Chechnya and Dagestan in 2012.

“We know that Chechnya is a breeding ground for extremists, but it’s mostly been extremists who were targeting Russians,” said former State Department coordinator for counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin. …

The U.S. overall has a good relationship with Russia when it comes to counterterrorism.

“But when you’re dealing with these old cold war foes, sometimes the relationships can be frosty,” said Benjamin. “Often the exchange is not nearly as fruitful as it would be, say, between the United States and some of its Western European partners.”