Tsarnaev indicted in Boston bombing

By Pete Williams and Andrew Rafferty, NBC News

A grand jury has indicted Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on charges of using weapons of mass destruction and killing four people, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

Tsarnaev, 19, has been accused of setting off bombs near the finish line of the city’s annual race on April 15 with the help of his brother Tamerlan. The blasts killed three people, and investigators believe the brothers killed a university police officer in the days after the attack while attempting to evade capture.

Tsarnaev was severely injured after a gun battle with police and has been held in a Massachusetts prison hospital after his April 19 capture. His brother Tamerlan was killed in course of the manhunt.

A press conference is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

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• Boston bomb suspect said widow Katherine Russell not involved: official

Tsarnaev indicted in Boston bombing