BOSTON -- A lawyer for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has urged a federal appeals court to move his trial out of Massachusetts, citing "saturation publicity" and the high number of people in the state affected by the 2013 attack.

In arguments Thursday before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Tsarnaev's lawyer said the bombings were seen as "an attack on the marathon itself and an attack on the city of Boston."

But federal prosecutors told the three-judge panel that the judge at Tsarnaev's trial has thoroughly questioned prospective jurors to determine whether they can be fair and impartial. They said the judge has found 61 people he believes are capable of being fair to Tsarnaev. Jury selection is ongoing.

The appeals court did not immediately rule.