On April 17 , 2013 , Emerson stated on the Fox News program '' Hannity '' that he had been informed by an official in the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE ) that a Saudi national who was present during the Boston Marathon bombing was suspected of playing a role in the bombing . Emerson wondered why a suspect would be deported and not prosecuted . Emerson reasoned that United States handles Saudi nationals differently to appease Saudi Arabia and not to embarrass the country . Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano , whose department supervises the ICE , dismissed Emerson 's allegation during a meeting with the House Homeland Security Committee , as being incorrect . United States officials stated that the injured Saudi national was regarded as a witness and not a suspect . A Saudi official at the embassy also stated that there was no known suspect or person of interest that they were aware of . On April 19 , 2013 , Steve Emerson was featured in an opinion piece on Fox News and referred to the suspects , Tamerlan Tsarnaev and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , YouTube channels as being similar in tone to Al Qaeda videos . Many local , state and federal officials , including President Barack Obama , cautioned against jumping to conclusions while there 's an ongoing investigation
Boston Marathon bombing
Boston Marathon bombing
Steven Emerson