Dec 18 (Reuters) - Luigi Mangione, the suspect indicted

on murder charges in the shooting of UnitedHealthcare executive

Brian Thompson, will now face federal charges that could attract

the death penalty, the New York Times reported late on

Wednesday.

It was not immediately clear what charges the suspect would

face in the federal case but they will be in addition to the New

York state murder indictment, the report added, citing people

familiar with the matter.

Federal charges would potentially allow prosecutors to

pursue the death penalty, which has been outlawed in New York

for decades, it said.

The U.S. Department Of Justice did not immediately respond

to request for comment.

In the state case against him, Mangione, 26, has been

indicted on 11 counts, including first-degree murder and murder

as a crime of terrorism.

He would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without

the possibility of parole if convicted on all of those counts.

Ivy League-educated Mangione was charged with murder on Dec.

9 for the killing of Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel before a

company conference, following a five-day manhunt.

The killing of Thompson has ignited an outpouring of anger

from Americans struggling to receive and pay for medical care.

Mangione suffered from chronic back pain that affected his

daily life, according to friends and social media posts, though

it is unclear whether his own health played a role in the

shooting.

(Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru)