23 Apr 2013

Boston bomb suspect charged

3:37 pm on 23 April 2013

The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has been charged with using a weapon of mass destruction, according to the US Department of Justice.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged as he lay in Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston and could face the death penalty if convicted.

The White House said the 19-year-old would not be treated as an enemy combatant, but prosecuted through the civilian justice system.

The twin bombs near the finishing line of the marathon on 15 April killed three people, and wounded 264 others.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured on Friday evening after a huge manhunt during which his elder brother and suspected fellow bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, died, the BBC reports.

He has been unable to speak due to a throat wound, though he has reportedly responded to questions in writing.

The hospital said on Monday that his condition remained serious.

Meanwhile, funerals were held on Monday for two of the three people killed in the bombings: Krystle Campbell, 29, and a Chinese graduate student.

Later, Boston observed one minute's silence at 2.50pm (local time) to mark the moment the bombings occurred.