A federal law enforcement official says one of the students from Kazakhstan arrested today in the Boston Marathon bombings was allowed to return to the United States this year despite not having a valid student visa. Authorities say that after the explosions he helped remove a laptop and backpack from the bombing suspect's dormitory room before the FBI searched it.
The official says Azamat Tazhayakov left the US in December. Tazhayakov's student-visa status was terminated in early January after he was academically dismissed from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the official says. Despite not having a valid student visa, Tazhayakov was allowed to re-enter the US on January 20.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official was not authorised to discuss details of Tazhayakov's immigration status.
