Boston Marathon Bombing: US To Seek Death Penalty For Accused Boston Bomber

The U.S. government will seek the maximum penalty possible in the Boston Marathon bombing case, the chief prosecutor said Thursday.

Accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should be put to death if he is found guilty of planting bombs that killed three people and wounded 264 last year, the U.S. government's chief prosecutor said, Reuters reported.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement that he was authorizing trial prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Tsarnaev, who is charged with committing one of the largest attacks on U.S. soil since the September 11, 2001, attacks, Reuters reported.

"The nature of the conduct at issue and the resultant harm compel this decision," Holder said.