New York, 18 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) – First degree murder and other charges, including a terrorism allegation, were filed on Tuesday against the 26-year-old Maryland man accused of gunning down the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare on a Manhattan street.

A grand jury in Manhattan handed down the 11-count indictment on Tuesday against Luigi Mangione, who was arrested last week in Pennsylvania after he was recognized in a McDonald's and an employee called police.

Brian Thompson, 50, died on December 4 after being struck by several bullets while walking outside a New York hotel.

The indictment includes one count of first degree murder "in furtherance of terrorism" and two counts of second degree murder, "one of which is charged as killing as an act of terrorism," according to a press release issued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.

He was also charged with several counts of various degrees linked to possessing a weapon and one count of possessing a forged instrument.

Mangione faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. New York does not have the death penalty.

“We allege that Luigi Mangione carried out the brazen, targeted and fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan," Bragg said in the statement.

"This type of premeditated, targeted gun violence cannot and will not be tolerated, he added.

Many Americans expressed sympathy for the suspect

Following the alleged murder, there has been an unusually large amount of sympathy for the alleged perpetrator in the United States, with many pouring out their anger at health insurance companies on social media.

Millions of Americans are exasperated with the expensive healthcare system and United Healthcare is reputed to frequently refuse treatments prescribed by doctors. Around 500,000 people in the US file for personal bankruptcy each year due to medical debt.

However UnitedHealthcare recently confirmed that neither Mangione nor members of his immediate family had been customers of the insurer.