A man in Arizona has been charged with murdering a turbaned Indian immigrant in a weekend rampage prosecutors said was motivated by ethnic hatred.
Mr Frank Silva Roque was held in Phoenix on $1 million bail on charges that also included attempted murder.
Mr Balbir Singh Sodhi, a 49-year-old Sikh, was killed in a drive-by shooting outside the petrol station he operated in Mesa.
The killer then drove 10 miles to a second petrol station and fired several shots through a window at a Lebanese-American clerk and then fired shots into the home of a family of Afghani descent, police said.
Prosecutor Mr Rick Romley said Mr Roque (42) targeted minorities during a rampage on Saturday in which Mr Sodhi died.
"Mr Sodhi was killed for no other apparent reason than that he was dark-skinned and wore a turban," Mr Romley said. "He was killed because of hate".
Police said Mr Roque shouted that he was a patriot as he was arrested. "I'm an American. Arrest me. Let those terrorists run wild," Mr Roque was quoted as saying in a report read to Associated Press.
Around the US, several apparent backlash attacks and threats following the terrorist attacks on September 11th have been reported against people of Middle Eastern and southern Asian descent.