Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appeared in court on Thursday morning for the first time since he was arraigned on 30 federal charges in July 2013. The 21-year-old suspected terrorist appeared in the federal courthouse for a final pretrial hearing before his trial begins with jury selection next month.

Tsarnaev, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, was accompanied by U.S. marshals as he entered the courtroom wearing a black sweater and an open-necked collared shirt matched with gray pants. He also had a scruffy beard and a mop top hairstyle, reports USA Today.

Tsarnaev and his now deceased older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, are accused of planting two bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013, killing three people and injuring 264 others. In addition, prosecutors say that the Chechen brothers fatally shot a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer three days later.

Tamerlan, 26, died after a gun battle with police three days after the bombing.

Also present in the packed courtroom were FBI agents, members of the media, police who worked on the case and 14 victims of the attack, who sat together in the galley.

The accused bomber was questioned by U.S. District Judge George O'Toole Jr., who asked him whether he had elected to not be present in other status conferences and if he was made aware of the proceedings by his lawyers.

"Yes sir," Tsarnaev said in response, according to the Associated Press.

Tsarnaev also told the judge that he is "very much" satisfied with his legal representation. When O'Toole offered him the opportunity to hold a private meeting with him to discuss his representation, Tsarnaev declined.

During Thursday's hearing, prosecutors and defense attorneys are expected to discuss the jury selection process with O'Toole.

Tsarnaev's trial is set to begin on Jan. 5 and expected to last several months. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

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