Bomber photos leaked

A US police officer leaked photographs of the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bombing suspect, because he was angry at the teenager being shown "fluffed and buffed" on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

The pictures leaked by Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Sean Murphy showed Tsarnaev, 19, smeared with blood and with the red dot of a laser-sighted rifle on his forehead as he surrendered following a manhunt.

Murphy, a police tactical photographer , said he wanted to counter the controversial Rolling Stone image, which he said "glamourised the face of terror" and "insulted" police officers and their loved ones.

"What Rolling Stone did was wrong. This guy is evil ."

Several nationwide retail chains in the US, including 7-Eleven with its thousands of stores, have refused to sell this edition of Rolling Stone. The image on its cover has been likened to a famous picture of rock star Jim Morrison, of The Doors.

Massachusetts State Police said the release by Murphy was "not authorised" and he had been "relieved of duty" for a day. An internal investigation has been launched.

Prosecutors in Boston condemned the leak as "completely unacceptable". Legal analysts said it might be used to suggest that Tsarnaev would not get a fair trial.

Rosanna Cavallaro, a professor at Suffolk University Law School, said: "The real concern is that people will see these new photos and think: 'Oh, he must be guilty.' We want punishment to be based on a fair proceeding."

Tsarnaev is accused of killing three people and wounding more than 260 by detonating two pressure-cooker bombs at the Boston Marathon on April 15.

He was captured several days later after his brother and alleged accomplice, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, had been killed in a gun battle with police.

Murphy gave his pictures to Boston Magazine which published more than a dozen .

Rolling Stone has defended its cover as part of the magazine's "long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day".