Tsarnaevs considered July 4 bombing

Two U.S. officials say the surviving suspected Boston bomber told interrogators that he and his brother considered setting off their bombs on July Fourth, but they decided to carry out their attack sooner and chose the date of the Boston marathon.

The U.S. officials say Dzhokhar Tsarnaev told investigators the bombs were assembled in his brother’s home.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly discuss the details because the investigation into the Boston marathon attack is ongoing.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces a charge of using a weapon of mass destruction to kill.

His brother, Tamerlan, was killed in a police shootout.

A Department of Public Safety spokesman said a funeral home retained by Tsarnaev’s family picked up the 26-year-old’s remains. Authorities are now closer to being able to make public Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s cause of death.

Tamerlan’s widow, Katherine Russell, wanted the body turned over to his side of the family.