Boston Marathon bombings suspect Dzohkhar Tsarnaev charged while lying in hospital bed
BOSTON Marathon bombings suspect Dzohkhar Tsarnaev has been charged while lying in his bed at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital today, according to US officials.
A magistrate judge was present when the 19-year-old was charged of conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.
The college student from Chechnya will be prosecuted through the civilian justice system and not as an enemy combatant.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "He will not be treated as an enemy combatant.
"We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice. Under U.S. law, United States citizens cannot be tried in military commissions."
The Boston Marathon bombings killed three people and injured over 180 when devices were detonated near the finish line of the 26.2 mile race last Monday.
The suspect was apprehended on Friday night after one of the largest manhunts in American history.
The teenager was unable to speak following his capture after suffering throat injuries sustained during the shootouts with police.
His older brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings case, died after a gunfight with police early on Friday.
Police said the Tsarnaev brothers, who were armed with handguns, made enough additional bombs for them to believe that more attacks were planned.
According to University of Notre Dame law professor Jimmy Gurulém, the suspect could face the death penalty because fatalities resulted from the attacks.
Memorial services were planned to be held today for two of those killed: restaurant manager Krystle Campbell and Chinese graduate student Lingzi Lu.
An 8-year-old boy, Martin Richard, was also killed.
The city planned to pause at 2.50pm local time to mark the moment a week ago when the two bombs containing nails and ball bearings tore through the unsuspecting crowd.