MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Roof opened fire at African-American church-goers in Charleston, killing nine people last week. The gunman allegedly wrote an online manifesto espousing white supremacy ideology, something which has not yet been officially confirmed.
According to the manifesto, Roof learned about "brutal black on white murders" on the website of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC), presided by Republican donor Earl Holt.
According to the Guardian newspaper, Holt has donated $65,000 to Republican Party campaigns in recent years. Since 2012, Holt has donated thousands to Republican candidates such as Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Rick Santorum.
Following the killing of nine church-goers, Roof was charged with nine counts of murder and possession of a firearm on Friday.
