According to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Dylann Roof intended to "fan racial flames" around the country in response to perceived slights against whites when he allegedly murdered a Church full of worshippers. Roof is charged with killing nine people in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, as ABC News describes, "armed to the hilt with a .45 caliber handgun and eight magazines loaded with hollow point bullets."

"To carry out these twin goals of fanning racial flames and exacting revenge, Roof further decided to seek out and murder African Americans because of their race," Lynch said. "An essential element of his plan, however, was to find his victims inside of a church, specifically an African-American church, to ensure the greatest notoriety and attention to his actions."

The indictment charges Roof with nine murders and three attempted murders under federal hate crime statutes. There are 33 counts total in the indictment.

"As set forth in the indictment, several months prior to the tragic events of June 17, Roof conceived of his goal of increasing racial tensions throughout the nation and seeking retribution for perceived wrongs he believed African Americans had committed against white people," Lynch said.

"Dylann Roof found his targets, African Americans engaged in worship," Lynch said. "The parishioners had Bibles. Dylann Roof had his .45 caliber Glock pistol and eight magazines loaded with hollow point bullets. And as set forth in the indictment, while the parishioners of Mother Emanuel were engaged in religious worship and Bible study, Dylann Roof drew his pistol and opened fire on them, ultimately killing nine church members."

As a result of the tragic church shooting, the Confederate flag was removed from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds and several large retailers have refused to sell items with the flag on it. Efforts are continuing to remove names of Confederate heroes from schools and take down other Confederate monuments.