Boston Marathon bombing suspect is charged

BOSTON — Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged by federal prosecutors in his hospital room Monday with using a weapon of mass destruction to kill -- a crime that carries a possible death sentence.

The charges represented a decision by the Obama administration to prosecute him in the federal court system instead of trying him as an enemy combatant in front of a military tribunal. Under the military system, defendants are not afforded some of the usual U.S. constitutional protections.

Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen from Russia who has lived in the United States for about a decade, is a naturalized U.S. citizen, and under U.S. law, American citizens cannot be tried by military tribunals, White House spokesman Jay Carney said. Carney said that since the Sept. 11 attacks, the federal court system has been used to convict and incarcerate hundreds of terrorists.

Tsarnaev was charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against persons and property, resulting in death.

He is also likely to face state charges in connection with the shooting death of an MIT police officer.

The world is still waiting for answers from Tsarnaev.

ABC News is reporting that according to authorities, Tsarnaev is awake and responding sporadically in writing to questions.

The sole surviving suspect remains hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his neck.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said there may have been more attacks if authorities had not stopped Tsarnaev and his older brother.

"We have reason to believe, based upon the evidence that was found at the scene, the explosions, the explosive ordinance that was unexploded, and the fire power that they had, that they were going to attack other individuals," Davis said.

In 2011, the FBI said it interviewed Tamerlan after Russian authorities alerted the U.S. government.

The elder Tsarnaev brother then made a six-month trip to Russia in 2012, but his exact whereabouts and activities are unclear.

"The ball was dropped in one of two ways, the FBI missed a lot of things is one potential answer, or our laws do not allow the FBI to follow up in a sound, solid way," said South Carolina Rep. Lindsey Graham.

Tamerlan's YouTube channel linked to a video featuring a well-known jihadist, who was killed by Russian forces last December.

There is no evidence Tamerlan was associated with any international jihadist groups.

"You feel a little safer now, knowing that the ones (suspected of doing) it aren't here anymore, and now it's just about trying to move on and put the pieces together and get ready for next year," said one Boston resident.

In Boston, life is slowly returning to normal. The site of the bombings is still a crime scene.

Sunday, workers tore down the last remnants of the marathon.

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said the city has developed a five-phase plan to reopen Boylston Street, which he said is now the most famous street in the world.

Police said neither of the brothers had gun permits.

It is not clear if they had ever applied for one.

Dzhokhar, 19, would have been denied because of his age.

Only people over the age of 21 are allowed gun permits in Massachusetts.

A moment of silence was held in Boston Monday to honor the victims, which marked exactly one week since the explosions.

The state set up a charity to help the victims. It is called One Fund Boston.

To donate to the fund, please click here.

WSOC