A U.S. grand jury returned a 30-count indictment against the surviving suspect in the deadly Boston Marathon bombings on Thursday, and many charges carry the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was indicted on charges including using a weapon of mass destruction and bombing a place of public use, resulting in death.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured in twin explosions near the finish line of the marathon on April 15. The charges also cover the death of police officer Sean Collier, whom authorities say was shot to death by Tsarnaev and his brother a few days later.

Tsarnaev's older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was killed following a shootout with police on April 19.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured later that day hiding in a boat in a backyard. According to the indictment, he wrote a message on the inside of the boat that said, among other things, "The U.S. Government is killing our innocent civilians," `'I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished" and "We Muslims are one body you hurt one you hurt us all."

The Tsarnaev brothers had roots in the turbulent Russian regions of Dagestan and Chechnya, which have become recruiting grounds for Islamic extremists. They had been living in the United States for about a decade.

Authorities said each brother placed a knapsack containing a shrapnel-packed pressure cooker bomb near the marathon finish line. The bombs went off within seconds of one another.

The U.S. attorney's office says 17 of the charges against Tsarnaev could bring life in prison or the death penalty.