The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sent a
written warning about accused Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev
to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2012, long before
pressure-cooker blasts killed three and injured hundreds, according to a
senior Saudi government official with direct knowledge of the document.
The
Saudi warning, the official told MailOnline, was separate from the
multiple red flags raised by Russian intelligence in 2011, and was based
on human intelligence developed independently in Yemen.
Citing
security concerns, the Saudi government also denied an entry visa to
the elder Tsarnaev brother in December 2011, when he hoped to make a
pilgrimage to Mecca, the source said. Tsarnaev's plans to visit Saudi
Arabia have not been previously disclosed.
The Saudis' warning to the U.S.
government was also shared with the British government. 'It was very
specific’ and warned that 'something was going to happen in a major U.S.
city,' the Saudi official said during an extensive interview.
It
'did name Tamerlan specifically,' he added. The
'government-to-government' letter, which he said was sent to the
Department of Homeland Security at the highest level, did not name
Boston or suggest a date for his planned attack. (Continues)
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