US appeals court denies request to delay Boston Marathon bombing trial

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is shown in a courtroom sketch during a pre-trial hearing at the federal courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts Dec 18, 2014.  A US appeals court on Saturday denied a last-ditch request by lawy
Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is shown in a courtroom sketch during a pre-trial hearing at the federal courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts Dec 18, 2014.  A US appeals court on Saturday denied a last-ditch request by lawyers for Tsarnaev to delay his trial. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

BOSTON (REUTERS) - A US appeals court on Saturday denied a last-ditch request by lawyers for accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to delay his trial on charges of killing three people and injuring more than 260 in the attack.

Attorneys for Tsarnaev, 21, had also sought to have the trial moved out of Boston, the site of the April 15, 2013, bombing, which stands as the largest mass-casualty attack on US soil since Sept 11, 2001.

Jury selection in the trial at US District Court in Boston is due to begin on Monday.

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