Boston bombing: Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could face the death penalty

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

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was charged in hospital, could face the death penalty.

A White House spokesman has said Mr Tsarnaev will not be treated as an "enemy combatant", as suggested by some Republican members of Congress.

The twin bomb attack near the finishing line of the marathon killed three people, and injured more than 200.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was captured on Friday evening after a huge manhunt during which his elder brother and suspected fellow bomber, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died.

He has been unable to speak because of a throat wound, though he has reportedly responded to questions in writing. As well as a count of using a weapon of mass destruction, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces one count of malicious destruction of property resulting in death, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

In addition to federal charges, prosecutors for the state of Massachusetts, which does not have the death penalty, could file their own.

"He will not be treated as an enemy combatant," said White House spokesman Jay Carney. BBC News

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