Boston suspect to make first appearance in 17 months

Accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is due to make his first public appearance in 17 months when he steps into court on Thursday for final preparations for his January trial.Held in Fort Devens prison hospital around 70 kilometers (44 miles) from the federal court in Boston where he will face trial, 21-year-old Tsarnaev, has not been seen in public since he pleaded not guilty in July 2013.He faces the death penalty over the April 15, 2013 attacks, which were the most serious in the United States since the 9/11 al-Qaida hijackings.Two pressure cooker bombs planted at the finish line of the Marathon killed three people and wounded 264 others.