White House defends FBI query into Boston suspect

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is defending the FBI's performance in its 2011 inquiry into Tamerlan Tsarnaev (tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) one of the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings.

White House spokesman Jay Carney says it's clear that the FBI followed up on information it received about Tsarnaev. He says the FBI interviewed him and his relatives and didn't find any domestic or foreign terrorism activity.

The Russian FSB intelligence security service told the FBI in early 2011 about information that Tsarnaev was a follower of radical Islam. The FBI says it conducted interviews and provided the results in the summer of 2011. The bureau says it also checked US government databases and other information to look into his telephone communications, possible use of radical online sites, personal associations, and travel and education history.