The grand jury's indictment charges Roof with 33 counts, including federal hate crime and firearms charges, Lynch said.
South
Carolina does not have a hate crime law, Lynch said. Roof, 21, already
faces a number of state charges in connection with the June 17 Bible
study attack at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Nine people were killed, including the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who also was a state senator.
"Mother
Emanuel was his destination specifically because it was an historically
African-American church of significance to the people of Charleston, of
South Carolina and to the nation," Lynch said. "On that summer evening,
Dylann Roof found his targets, African-Americans engaged in worship."
The
church's ministers and parishioners welcomed him into their Bible study
group, Lynch said. And once Roof's alleged plan became clear, the
attorney general told reporters, it was far from a fair fight.
"The
parishioners had Bibles," Lynch said. "Dylann Roof had his .45-caliber
Glock pistol and eight magazines loaded with hollow point bullets."
Roof spent months plotting the attack, Lynch said.
"He
was looking for the type of church and the type of of parishioners
whose death would, in fact, draw great notoriety for ... his racist
views," she said.
If he's found guilty
of the federal charges, Roof faces life imprisonment or the death
penalty. Lynch said there has been no decision yet on whether to seek
the death penalty in the case.
Roof's state trial is scheduled to start July 11, 2016.
It isn't clear yet when the federal trial would begin.
"Both
cases will proceed through the court system," Lynch said. "We'll both
work to reduce any unnecessary burden to the families."
Roof's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the federal indictment.
He
was captured in North Carolina the day after the attack and was brought
back to South Carolina. Law enforcement officials have said he admitted
to the killings.
CNN
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