A Boston police photographer has been suspended from duty after releasing dramatic photos of the arrest of bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Sean Murphy, a tactical officer for the Massachusetts State Police, released the images to Boston Magazine after he became furious with a Rolling Stone cover photo he believed glamorised the Marathon bombing suspect.

"This guy is evil": Dzhokhar Tsarnaev emerges with a red dot on his forehead from a police rifle. Credit:Sean Murphy, Massachusetts State Police

The pictures, taken when Tsarnaev was captured on April 19, show the young man bloody, covered in dirt, with the red circle of a laser target trained on his forehead as he emerged from a dry-docked boat in a Watertown backyard.

"This guy is evil. This is the real Boston bomber. Not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine," Sergeant Murphy said.