U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz outlined the charges brought against Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev at a news conference at the federal courthouse in Boston on Thursday.
Tsarnaev was brought up on a 30-count indictment for his alleged role in the Boston Marathon bombings.
The charges include use of a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death and conspiracy, bombing of a place of public use resulting in death and conspiracy, destruction of property resulting in death and conspiracy, use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and death, carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury, interference with commerce by threats or violence, and aiding and abetting.
The charges brought against Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, could bring up to life in prison, or the death penalty, Ortiz said.
Suffolk Country District Attorney Daniel Conley said Suffolk County would not bring charges against Tsarnaev, as it would drag out the prosecution. Middlesex County, where MIT officer Sean Collier was shot, has brought 15 state-level charges against Tsarnaev.
"The U.S. Attorney and I agree that the most effective avenue is in the federal court, with a federal prosecution, using federal statutes," Conley said.
During the news conference, Ortiz said she met with the victims of the marathon bombings.
"Their strength is extraordinary," she said of the victims, "And we will do everything we can to pursue justice not only on their behalf, but on the behalf of all of us."
WGBH News will continue to update this story as it develops.
