Scene of a shooting at a TOPS supermarket in Buffalo, New York
Scene of a shooting at a TOPS supermarket in Buffalo, New YorkREUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The teenager accused of gunning down 10 Black people during a rampage at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, last month was charged with domestic terrorism on Wednesday, reports the AFP news agency.

Payton Gendron, 18, was also slapped with ten counts of first-degree murder, a filing on the New York state court system website showed.

The 25-count indictment says Gendron was motivated by hate when he allegedly killed ten people and wounded three others during the mass shooting at Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo.

The other charges filed by the grand jury include attempted murder and weapons possession.

Gendron will be arraigned in Erie County Court on the charges on Thursday, a spokesperson for the prosecutor told AFP.

He had earlier pleaded not guilty to a single count of first-degree murder.

Gendron now faces murder charges for each of the ten victims, who ranged in age from 32 to 86.

Prior to the shooting, Gendron uploaded a manifesto to the internet, warning of “white genocide”, citing low birthrates among people of European heritage across the globe, and higher birthrates among non-white populations.

A document posted online by the suspect detailed his initial plans weeks before the shooting.

According to the document, obtained by the Washington Post, Gendron refers to the local Tops supermarket as “attack area 1,” also noting two other areas in the city where he can “shoot all blacks.”

New York's domestic act of terrorism charge, which came into force in 2020, carries a life sentence.