Race-Hate Gunman Confesses To Shooting Dead Nine Members Of Historic Black Church

Dylann Storm Roof                                            Some Victims

Dylann Storm Roof has confessed to entering a South Carolina church on Wednesday night and shooting dead nine people at their weekly bible study meeting, telling investigators that he wanted to 'start a race war', according to reports.

The 21-year-old admitted to Charleston police and the FBI that he was behind the massacre, law enforcement officials told CNN on Friday. He also told them that he bought the .45-caliber handgun himself; a family member had previously said the gun was a birthday gift from Roof's father.

His roommate has also revealed that Roof had been planning the attack for six months, and had wanted to start a 'civil war' before killing himself.

On Thursday, following an overnight manhunt, Roof was arrested during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina after a tip from a member of the public and he was extradited back to South Carolina last night.  

At 6.20pm local time he was seen in a jumpsuit, chains, handcuffs and a bullet-proof vest being chaperoned by dozens of armed police officers on to an airplane at Shelby-Cleveland County Regional Airport bound for his home state. 

On Wednesday, Roof allegedly entered the church and joined the bible study group for as long as an hour before suddenly opening fire on the group.

One survivor recounted how he reloaded his gun five times as he picked off his victims - killing three females and six males, including the Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who is also a South Carolina state senator.