*

Mangione faces 11 New York counts, including murder as an

act of

terrorism

*

New York Times reports Mangione would also face federal

charges

*

Manhattan District Attorney Bragg suggests Mangione won't

challenge extradition to New York

(Updates with suspect in court)

Dec 19 (Reuters) - The suspect in the killing of

UnitedHealth Group ( UNH ) executive Brian Thompson appeared in

a Pennsylvania court on Thursday morning for a hearing on a

request by New York to extradite him to Manhattan to face murder

charges.

Luigi Mangione, 26, was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania,

on Dec. 9, five days after Thompson was fatally shot outside a

Manhattan hotel before a company conference in what

law-enforcement officials have called a premeditated

assassination.

A grand jury in New York has indicted Mangione on 11 counts,

including first-degree murder and murder as an act of terrorism.

Mangione has been in jail since his arrest. His New York defense

lawyer, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, has declined to comment on the

charges against Mangione.

Late Wednesday, the New York Times reported that Mangione

would also face federal charges. It was not immediately clear

what federal charges Mangione would face, 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, according to the

report. The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately

respond to a request for comment.

In Pennsylvania, police said Mangione had a self-assembled

9mm handgun in his backpack and a homemade silencer when he was

arrested after being spotted at a McDonald's restaurant. The

handgun resembled the weapon used to kill Thompson, CEO of

UnitedHealthcare, the largest U.S. health insurer.

Mangione, a Maryland native who had lived in Hawaii, also

had multiple fake identification documents, including a fake New

Jersey ID that was used to check into a Manhattan hostel days

before Thompson's shooting, police said.

In Pennsylvania, Mangione has been charged with forgery and

illegally possessing an unlicensed gun. A preliminary hearing on

the Pennsylvania charges is scheduled at the Blair County

courthouse on Thursday morning.

A second hearing to discuss extradition to New York is then

scheduled in the same courthouse before Judge David Consiglio.

Under Pennsylvania law, Mangione can waive his right to

extradition proceedings if he tells the judge that he consents

to being transferred to New York custody.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said on Tuesday he

had indications that Mangione would not challenge New York's

extradition effort.

Bragg's office is accusing Mangione of an act of terrorism

under New York law because Thompson's killing was intended to

intimidate or coerce civilians or "influence the policies of a

unit of government."