Post sued over marathon bombing 'Bag Men' cover

BOSTON -- Two Massachusetts residents have sued the New York Post, saying the newspaper falsely portrayed them as suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings.

The lawsuit filed Wednesday in Boston says photographs and articles published three days after the April 15 bombings made it appear the FBI was pursuing Salaheddin Barhoum, 16, and Yassine Zaimi, 24.

The two were featured on the front page under the headline "Bag Men," before law enforcement officials publicly identified two brothers as suspects.

The lawsuit accuses the newspaper of libel, negligent infliction of emotional distress and privacy invasion. It seeks unspecified monetary damages and alleges the Post subjected them to "scorn, hatred, ridicule, or contempt."

A spokeswoman for the Post Thursday referred questions about the lawsuit to comments made by the newspaper's editor in April, when he said the publication didn't identify Barhoum and Zaimi as suspects and that it stood by the story.

The plaintiffs say they saw photos of themselves circulating on the Internet in connection with the bombing -- which killed three and injured at least 260 -- and both voluntarily went to police departments near their homes to answer any questions from authorities.

Investigators told them early in the morning on April 18 that they weren't considered suspects, according to the lawsuit. That day, the Post hit the streets with them on the cover.

The lawsuit says that Barhoum didn't know about the story until arriving home from a high school track meet later that day, when a reporter showed him the newspaper's front page and he "became terrified, began to shake and sweat, and felt dizzy and nauseous." -- AP