Boston Marathon bombing trial begins

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has gone on trial over the Boston Marathon bombing, with prosecutors saying he used a backpack to plant a bomb designed to “tear people apart and create a bloody spectacle”.

A shaggy-haired Tsarnaev, 21, stared straight ahead and did not look at either the jury or Assistant US Attorney William Weinreb as the prosecutor launched into his opening statement in America’s most closely watched terrorism trial since the Oklahoma City bombing more than 20 years ago.