Morrissey claims the United States and British intelligence officials have interviewed him after he criticized U.S. President George W. Bush, the war in Iraq and the British government in recent years.

The former lead singer of the Smiths tells British music paper NME that he believed he had been interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and British intelligence agents because he was deemed a threat for speaking his mind.

"They were trying to determine if I was a threat to the government, and similarly in England," NME quotes the 46-year-old singer as saying. "But it didn't take them very long to realize that I'm not."

In June 2004, Morrissey came under fire for interrupting a Dublin concert with news that former U.S. president Ronald Reagan had died, adding that he wished Bush had died instead.

Months later, Morrissey urged U.S. voters to get rid of Bush, calling him a terrorist and adding that he "single-handedly turned the United States into the most neurotic and terror-obsessed country on the planet."

Morrissey, who now resides in Los Angeles, will release a new album, "Ringleader of the Tormentors," April 4 via Attack/Sanctuary. As previously reported, he will take part in the upcoming South By Southwest Music Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, in March, sitting for an interview and performing at the Austin Music Hall. A European tour in support of the album is planned, including a six-week run of sold-out shows in the United Kingdom.

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