WASHINGTON
The suspect in the murders of nine blacks at an historic church was indicted Tuesday for the killings and three additional counts of attempted murder.
Prosecutor Scarlett Wilson said the additional charges relate to survivors of the shooting.
Twenty-one-year old Dylan Roof, who is white, killed his victims June 17 after a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Federal authorities have said they believe the facts of the case meet federal hate crime standards.
Following the attack, investigators discovered a website by Roof with a 2,500-page manifesto detailing his reasons for the attack. Among them was his belief that blacks are inferior to whites, and the case of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin who was fatally shot by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman in 2012.
The site also showed photographs of Roof posing with the Confederate flag and guns.
The flag is considered by many to be a symbol of racism and hate.
The indictment Tuesday comes as South Carolina lawmakers debate removing the flag from the Statehouse grounds where it has flown since the 1960s, during the fight for civil rights.
Roof’s next court date is expected in October.
