BOSTON (AP) - Two Massachusetts residents have sued the New York Post, saying the newspaper falsely portrayed them as suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings.

The lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Boston says photographs and articles published three days after the bombings made it appear the Federal Bureau of Investigation was pursuing 16-year-old Mr Salaheddin Barhoum and 24-year-old Mr Yassine Zaimi.

The two were featured on the front page under the headline "Bag Men".

The suit accuses the newspaper of libel, negligent infliction of emotional distress and privacy invasion. It alleges the newspaper subjected them to "scorn, hatred, ridicule, or contempt".

The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified monetary damages.

The Post's editor has previously said the two were not identified as suspects, and the newspaper stood by its story. The editor and a newspaper spokesman could not be immediately reached on Thursday.