A decision by a Tunisian judge to conditionally release one of the very few people in custody in connection with the Libya terror attack has underscored concerns in Washington about the alleged lack of progress in the investigation nearly four months after the attack.
"The window for justice is quickly closing as far as I see," Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told FoxNews.com Tuesday.
While a Senate committee and State Department-sponsored panel have both issued reports in recent weeks about the Sept. 11 attack that killed four Americans, those reports said little about the criminal investigation itself. They examined the motivations and conditions that led to the attack, but not who was specifically behind it. Further, Capitol Hill lawmakers are still in a holding pattern as they wait to hear testimony from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is recovering from a blood clot and has pledged to testify.
The criminal investigation itself falls to the FBI, and the decision in Tunisia appeared to be a blow to the case.
A lawyer for Ali Harzi, a 26-year-old Tunisian, said the presiding judge had "conditionally freed" his client Monday night and he has to remain in the greater Tunis area in case the court needs him. The lawyer described the release as "correcting an irregular situation" because authorities never had any real evidence.
A spokeswoman for the FBI told FoxNews.com on Tuesday that the investigation is ongoing, without commenting on the Tunisian judge's decision...