2 Europeans say they're the men sought by FBI for behavior aboard a ferry last summer

Two European business consultants have identified themselves to U.S. officials as the men who were being sought by the FBI after crew members and riders reported their unusual behavior aboard a Washington state ferry last summer.

The men, both citizens of a European Union nation, appeared at a U.S. Embassy two weeks ago and identified themselves as the men pictured in photos released to the media last summer, according to a news release issued today by the FBI's Seattle field office. The release did not identify the men or the city where the embassy is located.

The men came forward because they worried they'd be arrested if they traveled to the U.S., the release says. They provided proof of their identities, employment and the reason for their July visit to Seattle, and FBI agents were able to verify that information, according to the release.

"Where these gentlemen live, they don't have vehicle ferries. They were fascinated that a ferry could hold that many cars and wanted to show folks back home," FBI Special Agent Robbie Burroughs said Monday.

One of the men recognized himself in the photo sometime in the fall but didn't know what to do, said David Gomez, the FBI's assistant special agent in charge of national security programs in Seattle. He contacted his friend and they consulted family members involved in law enforcement in their home country. Then they went to the U.S. Embassy, Gomez said.

"We want to put the issue to rest," he said, noting that all along, the FBI only wanted to talk to the men. They aren't in trouble, nor do their names appear on a government watch list or no-fly list, he said.

For someone who rides the ferry every day, taking photos of the car deck is pretty unusual — but not so for "a guy who rides it one time in his life," Gomez said. "Their story makes sense, their story has validity... It was perfectly normal once we learned what was going on."

Gomez defended the decision to release the photo to the public after agents became "somewhat stymied" in their investigation into the men's identities.

Last summer, ferry riders became suspicious of the men, who seemed overly interested in the layout and workings of the ferry system. A ferry employee photographed the men; those photos were turned over to the FBI and ultimately released to the media. It was a controversial decision because the men, who were described as Middle Eastern looking, were not suspected of committing a crime. Law enforcement efforts to identify the men were unsuccessful.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com