Charleston church shooting: Prayers held across US

Prayers have been held across the United States after the killing of nine people at a historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina.

The suspect, Dylann Roof, 21, was detained during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina.

After a court appearance on Thursday, Mr Roof waived his right to extradition and was flown back to South Carolina.

Six women and three men, including the pastor, died in the attack. A hate crimes investigation has been launched.

Several churches in Charleston were full to overflowing on Thursday evening as prayer services were held. Some services were held outdoors.

Outside the Emanuel AME Church, where the attack took place, hundreds gathered in soaring heat to pay tribute.

"We really have to fight together to go on and to live a civilised life where race doesn't matter," said one woman, Martha Watson.

At a vigil for victim Sharonda Singleton, her teenage children told the BBC they had forgiven the killer and wanted to focus on moving on in a positive way.

Services were held in several other cities, including Miami, Detroit and Philadelphia.

In New York, services and protests took place, with placards including such messages as "Black Lives Matter" and "Stop killing black people".

Richard Price, executive assistant at the Harlem Church of Christ, said: "That someone would come and infiltrate that sacred space, one of the only spaces we ever really have, and to violate that space, and then to shoot the place up...

"This is a deep, deep-seated hurt that may never ever heal."

A prayer vigil was also held outside the US Capitol. Senate chaplain Barry Black said: "Our hearts ache because, in the future, people will feel fear in the house of God when they should feel peace and serenity."

US President Barack Obama said he and his wife had known several members of the Emanuel AME Church, including pastor, Clementa Pinckney.

Mr Obama called the church a "sacred place" in the history of Charleston and spoke of his confidence that the congregation and the community would "rise again".

He also raised the issue of gun ownership, saying: "At some point, we as a country have to reckon with the fact that this type of massacre does not happen in other advanced countries".

Presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said the US had to face "hard truths" on guns.

"How many innocent people in our country, from little children to church members to movie theatre attendees, how many people do we need to see cut down before we act?"