Source: CNN Piers Morgan Live
Speaking on Piers Morgan Live, Carnegie's Matthew Rojansky commented on the Chechen radical links of the Boston bombers. Rojansky pointed out that both of the brothers were too young to participate in either of the two Chechen Wars, fought during the 1990s and early 2000s. The elder Tamerlan's six month trip to Chechnya is a cause for suspicion, but there is so far no evidence that he had direct links with any known terrorist organizations in the region. Most likely, the overall environment was conducive to his radicalization. Rojansky also noted that the Russians turned to the United States for assistance in 2011 prior to his travel to the region. This was a huge missed opportunity on the part of the United States not to follow up with him after his trip to Chechnya and underscores the need for more U.S.-Russia cooperation on counterterrorism.