The FBI is disputing a claim by the mother of the suspected Boston bombers, who said the bureau had spoken to the older brother after the bombs exploded at last Monday's marathon.

Boston Police and Massachusetts State Police stand guard outside of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where the Boston Marathon bombing suspect, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, is currently being held
Boston Police and Massachusetts State Police stand guard outside of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where the Boston Marathon bombing suspect, Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, is currently being held (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
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At FBI headquarters in Washington, spokesman Michael Kortan says the bureau's 2011 interview with Tamerlan Tsarnaev was the only FBI contact with him.

Kortan is standing by the bureau's public statement from Friday in which the bureau described that interview. That statement says the FBI did not learn of the identities of the bombing suspects, Tamerlan and his brother, Dzhokhar until Friday, the day Tamerlan was killed.

The brothers' parents in Russia have insisted that the FBI continued to monitor Tamerlan after the 2011 interview and say both of their sons were set up.

Senator: Marathon bombing suspect shot in throat

Deanna Finn (R) hugs her son Sean Jr. on the steps of their house with her husband Sean Finn looking on after they drew a chalk ribbon with the wards "Boston Strong" near Franklin Street in Watertown, Mass
Deanna Finn (R) hugs her son Sean Jr. on the steps of their house with her husband Sean Finn looking on after they drew a chalk ribbon with the wards "Boston Strong" near Franklin Street in Watertown, Mass (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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A U.S. senator says the hospitalized suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing was shot in the throat, raising questions about his ability to speak to investigators.

Senate Intelligence Committee member Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana told ABC's "This Week" that there are questions over whether Tsarnaev will be able to talk again.

Coats said that doesn't mean the 19-year-old can't communicate, but he's "in a condition where we can't get any information from him at all."

Tsarnaev was captured from a tarp-covered boat in a suburban Boston yard Friday night and remained hospitalized in serious condition Sunday.

Tsarnaev and his 26-year-old brother, Tamerlan, were in a shootout with police early Friday. Tamerlan was killed and Dzhokhar fled the scene bleeding.

Mass. police: Bomb suspects didn't have gun permit

A Massachusetts police official say the brothers suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon before having shootouts with authorities didn't have gun permits.

Cambridge Police Commissioner Robert Haas tells The Associated Press in an interview Sunday that neither Tamerlan nor his brother Dzhokhar had permission to carry firearms.

He says it's unclear whether either ever applied and the applications aren't considered public records.

But he says the 19-year-old Dzhokhar would have been denied a permit because of his age. Only people 21 or older are allowed gun licenses in Massachusetts.

The suspects were also accused of hijacking a Mercedes on Thursday night.

Haas says the pair didn't release the driver, but he escaped when he was left alone while the two men entered a convenience store.


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