Story highlights Musa Khadjimuradov, 36, says he has been questioned twice by the FBI

He says investigators are asking about one of the Boston bombings suspects

"I am sure the FBI knows by now that I have nothing to do with the terrible act," he says

Khadjimuradov says he knew Tamerlan Tsarnaev only in passing

The trail of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has led investigators to the New Hampshire home of a former Chechen rebel living in exile, a law enforcement official told CNN on Friday.

FBI agents interviewed Musa Khadjimuradov and searched his Manchester home this week, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

While the official did not detail what investigators uncovered during the search or the contents of the interview, Khadjimuradov indicated in an e-mailed statement to CNN that he was questioned about his contact with dead suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Authorities have cast a wide net in the investigation into the Boston bombings, examining everything from the suspects' movements to people they knew, to determine whether Tamerlan Tsarnaev or his younger brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , received help in carrying out the attack.

"I am sure the FBI knows by now that I have nothing to do with the terrible act in Boston," Khadjimuradov said in the statement.

"I would like to state that I barely knew the Tsarnaev family, and only met them for the first time after we moved to the U.S. During the very few encounters, which were initiated by Tsarnaev, we have never discussed political or religious issues, so I could never guess what ideas were in their minds."

Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Dias Kadyrbayev, left, with Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsamaev in a picture taken from the social media site VK.com. Kadyrbayev is expected to plead guilty August 21 to charges in connection with removing a backpack and computer from Tsamaev's dorm room after the April 2013 bombing, according to a defense lawyer. Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during the shootout with police in Watertown, Massachusetts, on April 19, 2013. He is pictured here at the 2010 New England Golden Gloves. Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured in a Boston suburb on April 19, 2013, after a manhunt that shut down the city. In July, he pleaded not guilty to killing four people and wounding more than 200. Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – From left, Azamat Tazhayakov and Dias Kadyrbayev went with Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to Times Square in this photo taken from the social media site VK.com. A federal grand jury charged Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev with obstructing justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice relating to the removal of a backpack from Tsarnaev's dorm room after the bombings. Tazhayakov was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction charges in July 2014. He faces up to 25 years in prison at his sentencing in October. He has filed an appeal. Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Robel Phillipos, a U.S. citizen, was also arrested on May 1, 2013 . He was charged with lying to federal agents about the bombing, according to court papers. Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Phillipos, Tazhayakov and Kadyrbayev are accused of removing items from Tsarnaev's dorm room after the bombings on April 15, 2013. The items they took included a backpack containing fireworks that had been "opened and emptied of powder," according to the affidavit. Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – The FBI released photos and video on April 18, 2013, of two men identified as Suspect 1 and Suspect 2 in the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon. They were later identified as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26. Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Boston Police released surveillance images of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at a convenience store on April 19, 2013. Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – The FBI tweeted this photo on April 19, 2013, and urged Watertown residents to stay indoors as they searched for the second suspect. Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – The FBI released photos and video on April 18, 2013, of two men it called suspects in the deadly bombings and pleaded for public help in identifying them. The men were photographed walking together near the finish line. Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – A man identified as Suspect 2 appeared in this photograph by bystander David Green, who took the photo after completing the Boston Marathon. Green submitted the photo to the FBI, he told Piers Morgan in an interview. Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – The man identified as Suspect 2 appears in a tighter crop of David Green's photo. Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Authorities later identified Suspect 1 as Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Suspect 2 was identified as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Suspect 1 walks through the crowd. Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Suspect 1 walks through the crowd. Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Suspect 1 walks through the crowd. Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Both suspects are seen walking through the crowd. Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Suspect 2 walks through the crowd. Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Suspect 2 walks through the crowd. Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – A photo released by the FBI highlights Suspect 2. Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – A photo released by the FBI highlights Suspect 2. Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: Photos: Suspects tied to Boston bombings Suspects tied to Boston bombings – Suspect 2 walks through the crowd. See all photography related to the Boston bombings. Hide Caption 23 of 23

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Khadjimuradov, 36, said this week was the second time he has been questioned by federal authorities about his relationship with the elder Tsarnaev, who visited his home about three weeks before the April 15 bombings that left three dead and hundreds wounded.

Investigators first talked to him on April 29, he said.

In an interview this week with Voice of America , Khadjimuradov said he believes federal investigators questioned him because they wanted to know whether Tsarnaev had used a shooting range in the area.

"Because they say he has shooting practice here in New Hampshire. That's like two or three times. So he bought fireworks here, from New Hampshire, you know? And he buy some ammunition for guns here in New Hampshire. And before the attack, like three or four weeks, he came to my house," he said.

"So now I believe they're thinking like he was coming here to New Hampshire and that I try to help him or something."

He told Voice of America that he met Tamerlan Tsarnaev at a Chechen Society gathering in Boston in 2006, he had seen him only three times in three years, and the discussions were never about religion or politics.

"Nothing. Never. He never talking about the religious, politics or anything like that to me," he said.

Authorities have said the surviving Tsarnaev brother told investigators that no one else was involved.

In addition to questions about how the bombings were carried out, investigators have been trying to determine how the Tsarnaev brothers were allegedly radicalized.

Authorities have said they believe the brothers acted alone, but are investigating whether they could have learned from or been aided by terror groups, including groups overseas.

The Tsarnaev brothers, ethnic Chechens, lived in Kyrgyzstan and Dagestan in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region, where Islamic insurgency has taken hold in a fight for independence.

Of particular interest has been Tamerlan's 2012 trip to the semi-autonomous Russian republic of Dagestan, home to numerous Islamic militant groups that have warred against Moscow's rule.

Russian authorities asked U.S. officials to investigate Tamerlan before the trip, saying they believed he was becoming increasingly involved with radical Islam. The FBI investigated, but found no evidence of extremist activity, FBI Director Robert Mueller told a Senate committee.

In his statement, Khadjimuradov said he understood why authorities wanted to talk to him and that he fully cooperated.

"These guys need to do everything they can to solve this case, so they can prevent anything like this horror from happening again," it said.

Khadjimuradov, who relocated to the United States in 2004 as a refugee, has said he served as one of the bodyguards for Akhmed Zakayev, a Chechen separatist leader wanted by Russia. Zakayev, who now lives in London, did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment.