The young white man who shot dead nine black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, has pleaded not guilty to federal hate crime charges.
Dylann Roof has been charged with murder over the killing of nine people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church in Charleston in June.
He pleaded not guilty to 33 federal charges in the fatal shooting on Friday.
Roof appeared in the courtroom in shackles and gray striped prison garb at the US District Court in Charleston.
The 21-year-old man was arrested one day after the attack in North Carolina.
According to law enforcement officials, he admitted to the killings of the black people.
He could face life imprisonment or the death penalty if found guilty.
The killing of black people by white people in the United States has become a sensitive issue.
The shooter had been in contact with white supremacists online, according to federal and local authorities. He appeared in photos holding Confederate flags and burning or desecrating American flags.
Investigators used the information they had gathered in order to determine where Roof received his inspiration or whether anyone else should face charges in connection with the mass killings.
Family members and friends of the victims also were present at the courtroom.
“He has taken the most precious thing in my life, but he will not take my joy,” said Gracyn Doctor, whose mother, the Reverend Depayne Middleton-Doctor, was killed in the shooting.
Tyrone Sanders, father of victim Tywanza Sanders, said, “I don’t know what’s going to happen to this young man. But the rest of his life, I want him to think… Just think and continue to think about it.”