Luigi Mangione to appear in federal court for arraignment

US prosecutors formally told a court that they plan to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, who is accused of murdering a UnitedHealth Group executive in New York last year.

Mr Mangione, 26, is due to appear in Manhattan federal court for an arraignment today.

He has pleaded not guilty to a separate New York state indictment he faces over the murder of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance division.

While public officials condemned the killing, some Americans have cheered Mr Mangione, saying he drew attention to steep US healthcare costs and the power of health insurers to refuse payment for some treatments.

In justifying their decision, prosecutors wrote in their filing that Mr Mangione "presents a future danger because he expressed an intent to target an entire industry, and rally political and social opposition to that industry, by engaging in an act of lethal violence."

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US Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this month announced that the Justice Department would seek the death penalty for Mr Mangione. Yesterday's court filing by the Manhattan US Attorney's office formalises prosecutors' intent to impose the death penalty.

Mr Mangione's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment yesterday.

They have said Ms Bondi's 1 April 1 announcement was "unapologetically political" and breached government protocols for death penalty decisions.

If Mr Mangione is convicted in the federal case, the jury would determine in a separate phase of the trial whether to recommend the death penalty.

Any such recommendation must be unanimous, and the judge would be required to impose it.

Mr Thompson was shot dead on 4 December outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan, where the company was gathering for an investor conference.

The brazen killing and ensuing five-day manhunt captivated Americans. Police officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, found Mr Mangione with a 9-millimetre pistol and silencer, clothing that matched the apparel worn by Mr Thompson's shooter in surveillance footage, and a notebook describing an intent to "wack" an insurance company CEO, according to a court filing.

Mr Mangione is currently being held in federal lockup in Brooklyn.