News

Federal agent to monitor Tsarnaev's visits with family

BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Prosecutors in the case against accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev have requested an additional guard to watch over his interaction with his family.

The prosecutors believe there is potential for Tsarnaev to pass along information, specifically when his sisters visit. The judge advised the prosecution they could choose not to have an agent in the room during these visits or have an impartial one there.

Prosecutors said they'd put a federal agent in the room with Tsarnaev when his family visits. The agent will be someone who isn't involved in the Marathon bombing investigation. They say Tsarnaev shouldn't be allowed to speak to his family without supervision because he could provide them with information to give others.

According to the Boston Globe, prosecutors wrote that Tsarnaev's mother mentioned during phone conversations with him that friends of his brother, Tamerlan, were with her. She also indicated that she knew Tsarnaev's sisters had been visiting him.

Two weeks ago, the defense argued Tsarnaev should be allowed to speak to his family without an FBI agent present. This is one of the special administrative measures that had been put in place for Tsarnaev. His defense team has argued that those measures are too severe.

All of this comes as the investigation into the bombings continues. On Wednesday, an Inspector General told the Senate's Homeland Security Committee that there was no, "silver bullet" that would've stopped the bombings. He did say there are things that need improvement and that more attention should've been paid to Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

The testimony came after the release of a 32-page report detailing missed red flags surrounding Tamerlan Tsarnaev prior to the bombings. He was killed on April 19, 2013 during a shootout with police after he was run over by a car driven by his brother.

Dzokhar Tsarnaev is in a federal facility in Devens awaiting trial. That trial is still set for November.