This story is being updated
Monday on radio, Glenn Beck revealed further details about the Saudi national who was the first suspect in the Boston marathon bombing. Despite denials from Janet Napolitano and officials from the U.S. Immigrations and Customs (ICE) that a Saudi national was taken into custody in connection to the Boston marathon bombing, several sources have confirmed that Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi was set to be deported for proven terrorist activity.
According to two FBI sources, Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi was taken “into custody” Monday April 15th at a Boston after he was injured in the blast.
A source within the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) told TheBlaze that on Monday night Al-Harbi’s Revere, Massachusetts apartment was searched and property was taken out.
At 4:00pm ET on Tuesday April 16th, The Nation Targeting Center (NTC) Field Watch Commander created an “event file” calling for Al-Harbi’s deportation using Section 212 3b, which is proven terrorist activity. According to TheBlaze’s sources, tagging someone as 3b requires solid evidence.
Fox News reporter Todd Starnes has also reported, “The Saudi national who was initially detained and then ruled out as a suspect in the Boston Marathon terrorist attack had been flagged on a terror watch list and was granted a student visa without being properly vetted, sources have told me.”
Starnes report no longer appears on the Fox News website, but can be found on Townhall.
Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) has told TheBlaze that he has detailed information on the Saudi national and confirmed that Al-Harbi was to be deported under Section 212 3b of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Alongside three other Congressmen, Rep. Duncan has requested a classified briefing on the Saudi national and the deportation order.
Even though sources within Congress have confirmed that the Saudi national was set to be deported under Section 212 3B, several figures in the United States government have denied or refused to answer questions on Al-Harbi. First, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano refused to answer questions on the subject when confronted by Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) on Capitol Hill. Then on Thursday, a senior law enforcement official with ICE told TheBlaze that reports claiming the department was deporting Al-Harbi under section 212 3B and had opened an “event” on the Saudi Arabian national following the Boston attacks is “categorically false.”
The senior law enforcement official also told TheBlaze that Al-Harbi was never in custody nor ever considered for deportation by ICE, but that the department does have a different Saudi national in custody being held on grounds unrelated to the Boston bombings.
Glenn told the radio audience that there were several meetings last week between members of the Obama administration and key Saudi officials.
On Tuesday Secretary of State John Kerry met with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud which was closed to the media. Then, on Wednesday, President Obama had a “chance” encounter with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud and Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir.
Shortly after John Kerry’s meeting with Saud, the FBI started to backtrack Al-Harbi’s status in connection to the Boston Marathon Bombing. First, he was alleged to be a suspect, then a person of interest, then a witness, then a victim of the bombing. Now that two suspects, the Tsarnaev brothers, have been killed or taken into custody, Al-Harbi seems to be completely ignored.
On Wednesday April 17th at 5:35pm ET, the event file on Al-Harbi was altered and the order to deport was rescinded.
"This is unheard of. This is impossible in this timeline due to the severity of the charge," Glenn explained. "You don't one day put a 2123b charge against somebody with deportation and then the very next day take it off."
Glenn said that there are only two people who could order the change. The Director of the NCTC after getting everybody in the agency to sign off, or somebody in the highest levels of the State Department. Glenn said TheBlaze has been unable to identify who made the alteration.
On radio, Glenn said that sources are now telling TheBlaze that this case will likely be moved from The Department of Homeland Security to The Department of Justice and labeled an ongoing investigation. This will be the reason that Janet Napolitano will be unable to respond to The Homeland Security Committee’s request for a briefing.
Glenn also said that there is a heavy disinformation campaign currently being waged against this story similar to Benghazi. He believes that claims of mistaken identity, additional Saudi nationals in custody, and more are being used to discredit further investigation into this story and confuse media outlets.
As of Monday morning, no details on the “second Saudi” in ICE custody have been provided.
“Why were there were no names, no pictures presented? The fact is, an event was created for one Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi indicating he was to be deported for terrorism activity related to the Boston bombing. If this file was created with another Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi in mind, don’t you think we should know about it?” Glenn said.
“I need you to call your congressmen right now,” Glenn said. There are congressmen who are aware of this, have seen the documentation — they need your support, they need your help,”
“If we do not stand up, he is on a plane tomorrow or he is already gone.
“We demand answers from the Justice Department and this administration.”
Glenn explained that this story is just the latest example of a pattern of connections between the Saudi government and the United States that extends beyond the current administration. He specifically pointed to the fact that days after 9/11, wealthy Saudi Arabians, including members of the bin Laden family, were flown out of the country without being questioned. For three years, no one would admit to clearing the flights.
“The Bush administration would later block the investigation into Saudi involvement into 9/11, even though 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis, and would eventually force the redaction of a 28-page chapter of the 9/11 Commission report regarding foreign, specifically Saudi, support for some of the Al-Qaeda hijackers,” Glenn said.
“On January 14, 2013 President Obama met with Saudi Minister of Interior,” Glenn said. “Two days later Janet Napolitano signed agreement with Saudi minister allowing ‘trusted traveler’ status on Saudi student visitors, meaning greatly reduced security checks and scrutiny.”
“This is trusted traveler status that we don’t give to some of our most trusted allies, and we gave it to Saudi Arabia last January?” Glenn said. “So they can just walk into our country no questions asked?”
“There is a pattern,” he said. “There is a relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia the American public doesn’t know about. The case of Abdul Rahman Ali Al-Harbi is only the latest example.”