'Suspicious' ferry riders ID'd as tourists

SEATTLE, May 6 (UPI) -- After a long hunt for two men who allegedly acted in a suspicious manner on a ferry in Washington state, the FBI has declared them curious sightseers.

The men, described only as European business consultants who live in a country in the European Union, came to a U.S. embassy and showed proof of identification, information about why they were in Seattle last summer and the snapshots they took on the ferry to show friends and relatives, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported.

Ferry employees photographed the men last July because they seemed to be taking a close interest in the workings of the ferry. The FBI released those photos to the news media in August, although some newspapers chose not to publish them.

Laura Laughlin, special agent in charge of the FBI in Seattle, said Monday that the case had an "excellent outcome." She said investigators hoped when they released the photos that someone would recognize the pair or they would come forward and could be ruled either in or out.