Hate crime motivation for Charleston church massacre

A white man suspected of killing nine people in a Bible study group at a historic black church in Charleston, South Carolina, was arrested yesterday. Officials are investigating the attack as a hate crime.

Police detained alleged gunman Dylann Roof, 21, after a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina, about 350km north of Charleston, said police chief Gregory Mullen.

Wednesday’s mass shooting, which occurred after the suspect had sat with parishioners at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church for an hour, follows months of protests over killings of black men which have shaken the US.