American action hero, martial artist and musician, Steven Seagal, had attempted to set up a visit of several members of Congress to Chechnya, but the lawmakers got cold feet at the last minute, it has been learnt.
The congressional trip - officially known as a CODEL - to Russia is part of a House committee's investigation of last month's Boston Marathon bombing, reports Politico.
The two brothers accused of plotting the attack that killed three and wounded scores are Chechen Muslims, who grew up in the Kalmykia region of Russia and later immigrated to the US.
Before the lawmakers left, Seagal, who has appeared to develop a relationship with Russian President Vladmir Putin and Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, laid the groundwork for a detour.
Congressional sources say that the proposed visit caused a split within the delegation, with several members uncomfortable about travelling into a region ruled by a Kremlin-backed strongman with a spotty human rights record.
The delegation to Russia includes Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Reps. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Bill Keating (D-Mass), Steve King (R-Iowa), Paul Cook (R-Calif.) and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.).
More From This Section
Seagal has been in Russia recently, assisting the Putin government with a variety of initiatives including a fitness campaign and an effort to lobby the U.S. government on guns on Moscow's behalf.
Chechnya is currently a semi-autonomous independent republic within Russia and ruled by Kadyrov, an ally of Moscow. The region was the site of two major insurgencies against Russian rule by ethnic Chechen rebels.