Boston bombing suspect tells investigators that dead brother's Muslim convert widow WAS NOT involved - as she hires attorney who defended Guantanamo terror suspects 

• Katherine Russell, 24, had al Qaeda's extremist Inspire magazine on her computer
• Traces of explosives were found in bathtub, sink and on a table in her and Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Cambridge, Mass., home
  
• Russell spoke to Tamerlan Tsarnaev in the hours after the FBI released images of him, but she will not reveal what they discussed
• Fingerprints and DNA found on at least one bomb does not belong to her
• Authorities 'skeptical about her insistence she had nothing to do with it'
• Russell retained New York-based attorney Joshua Dratel, who defended Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks
  

By Lydia Warren and Snejana Farberov

PUBLISHED: 20:09 EST, 8 May 2013 | UPDATED: 20:29 EST, 8 May 2013

The suspect in the deadly Boston Marathon bombings told investigators that the widow of his late older brother had nothing to do with the April 15 attacks, it was revealed today.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has made the statement to law enforcement officials looking into Katherine Russell's possible involvement in the planning of the bombings allegedly carried out by her husband, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, and her brother-in-law, NBC News reported.

The older Tsarnaev sibling was killed in a police gun battle April 19. His younger brother, Dzhokhar, was captured and charged in connection to the bombings following a massive manhunt that ended when he was discovered wounded hiding inside a boat in a backyard.

'She's innocent:' Terror suspect Dzhokhar Tsranaev (left) told federal investigators that his sister-in-law, Katherine Russell (right), had nothing to do with the April 15 bombings 

Tamerlan Tsaranev's 24-year-old widow has been under increased scrutiny ever since federal officials found radical Islamist materials on her laptop, including the al Qaeda magazine Inspire.

Investigators also found traces of explosive residue in the Cambridge, Massachusetts, home Russell had shared with her late husband and their 2-year-old daughter.

Russell's defense team said in a statement that she ‘plans to continue to meet with investigators, part of a series of meetings over many hours where she has answered questions.’

It was also revealed Wednesday that the 24-year-old Muslim convert has hired a prominent criminal lawyer with experience defending terrorism cases.

Russell added New York lawyer Joshua Dratel to her legal team, her attorney Amato DeLuca confirmed.

Dratel has represented a number of terrorism suspects in federal courts and military commissions, including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee David Hicks, who attended an al-Qaida-linked training camp in Afghanistan.

‘Mr. Dratel's unique, specialized experience will help insure that Katie can assist in the ongoing investigation in the most constructive way possible,’ DeLuca said in a written statement.

He said Russell, who has not been charged with any crime, will continue to meet with investigators as ‘part of a series of meetings over many hours where she has answered questions.’

New hire: Russell has retained criminal defense attorney Joshua Dratel (center), who has represented a number of terrorism suspects

Staying silent: Katherine Russell, the wife of Boston bomber suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, leaves her lawyer's office with attorney Amato DeLuca on Monday. She has reportedly stopped cooperating with authorities

Providence-based DeLuca and Miriam Weizenbaum have been representing Russell, who is from Rhode Island. They specialize in civil cases such as personal injury law.

An FBI spokeswoman wouldn't comment when asked Wednesday whether Russell is cooperating.

DeLuca has said Russell had no reason to suspect her husband and his brother in the deadly April 15 bombing.

Officials have yet to determine whether the Islamist files found in Russell’s possession belonged to the 24-year-old mother, her late 26-year-old husband or a third party, a source told The Washington Post.

'Incriminating': Officials say among the materials discovered on Russell's computer was al Qaeda's Inspire magazine

According to a government document obtained by NBC News, an analysis of the bombs used at the Boston Marathon and pipe bombs that the Tsarnaevs had allegedly thrown at police may have been built following instructions that appeared in an Inspire article titled: Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.

Attorney Amato DeLuca had previously said his client was kept in the dark about the deadly plot, and she was shocked to learn that her husband and brother-in-law were allegedly responsible for the attacks. 

Meanwhile, CNN reported that investigators inspecting Russell and Tsranaev's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, found traces of explosive residue in the kitchen sink, the bathtub and on a table.

Following his arrest, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told police that he and his older brother built the pressure cooker bombs in the basement of the Cambridge residence.

It was established last week that female DNA found one a piece of an explosive device used in the attacks did not match Russell's, but rather belonged to a department store clerk where the siblings had purchased the pressure cookers.

Authorities have said that Tamerlan Tsarnaev called his wife in the hours after the FBI released surveillance images of him and his younger brother.

Probe: Authorities visited her parents' home this week after female DNA was found on one of the bombs

Hiding out: Russell has been staying at her parents' North Kingstown, Rhode Island home, pictured

But only Russell knows what was said in the conversation, as she has stopped cooperating with authorities over recent days, the New York Times reported.

Authorities are skeptical of her insistence that she played no role in the attack or in helping the brothers escape the authorities following the release of the photographs, the Times reported.

Her silence comes as sources told the newspaper that the fingerprints and female DNA found on at least one of the bombs did not belong to her. Authorities had taken a sample from her this week.

Spokesman Jason Pack confirmed that agents investigating the Boston bombings visited the North Kingstown home of Russell's parents, where Tsarnaev's widow has been staying since the attacks.

An official had revealed that female DNA was found on at least one of the bombs, although investigators haven't determined whose it is or whether it means a woman helped the two suspects.

Russell met Tamerlan while she was a student at Suffolk University, according to her lawyer. She converted to Islam and they married in 2010 before having a daughter, now three.

Her husband was killed on April 18 following a shoot out with police in Watertown. Investigators say his younger brother hit him with a car as he fled the scene.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was caught the following day as he was found hiding in a boat in a backyard.

'Killer': Russell's husband Tamerlan Tsarnaev, pictured in 2010, died after a gun battle with police

Body: A vehicle believed to be carrying Tsarnaev's body backs into an underground garage at the Dyer-Lake Funeral Home in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. His family claimed his body on Thursday

Changed: Russell, pictured left in high school and right following the bombings, met Tamerlan while she was a college student but dropped out when she fell pregnant. She converted to Islam for him

The April 15 bombing, using pressure cookers packed with explosives, nails, ball bearings and metal shards near the marathon's finish line, killed three people and injured more than 260 others.

Russell's attorneys have previously said she and her family were in shock when they learned of the allegations against her husband and brother-in-law, Dzhokhar.