‘Bomber’s’ lawyer critical of jury profile for Boston Marathon bombing trial

Lawyers for the Boston Marathon bombing suspect have asked a judge to dismiss the indictment against their client or suspend his trial, saying there are not enough minorities and younger people in the jury pool.

The move by lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev came just days before opening statements and evidence are set to begin in his federal death penalty trial.

Tsarnaev, 21, is accused of carrying out twin bombings at the 2013 marathon. The explosions killed three people and injured more than 260.

Tsarnaev’s lawyers said the selection process undermined the required random summoning of jurors. They also said the process violated Tsarnaev’s constitutional right to have a jury which represents a “fair cross-section of the community”.

Tsarnaev’s lawyers have also argued that the trial should be moved out of Massachusetts because of the emotional impact the bombings had in the state and because many people have personal links to the case.