Summary Boston bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged with using a weapon of mass destruction.
BOSTON (AFP) - Boston bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Monday was charged with using a weapon of mass destruction and could face the death penalty if convicted, the US Department of Justice said.
Tsarnaev, 19, also has been charged with one count of malicious destruction of property by means of deadly explosives, the DOJ said in a statement. He was arraigned in his hospital bed, where he remains in serious condition.
If the teen, a naturalized US citizen of Chechen descent, is convicted of the federal charges over last week s twin marathon blasts, which left three dead and 200 wounded, he could be sentenced to jail time -- or to death.
"We ve once again shown that those who target innocent Americans and attempt to terrorize our cities will not escape from justice," said US Attorney General Eric Holder. A first court hearing was set for May 30.
The unsealing of the federal charges against Tsarnaev, who suffered a gunshot wound to the throat after being captured late Friday, came as White House spokesman Jay Carney said he would not be deemed an "enemy combatant."
"We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice," Carney said, after some Republicans had said Tsarnaev should have the same status as the "war on terror" detainees held in Guantanamo Bay.
"The system has repeatedly proven that it can successfully handle the threat we continue to face," Carney said, adding that US law forbids trying citizens in military courts.
Tsarnaev was captured after a massive manhunt that virtually shut down Boston and its suburbs on Friday. His brother and alleged accomplice Tamerlan, 26, had been killed in a chaotic overnight shootout with police.
It was still unclear if the younger Tsarnaev s severe throat injury came at the hands of police or was self-inflicted in a suicide attempt. He is reportedly unable to speak but is communicating with authorities in writing.
As counterterrorism agents trained in interrogating "high-value" detainees waited at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center to learn more from the teen, Bostonians attempted to put the traumatic week behind them.
