Washington DC - US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday asked federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, who allegedly gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

"Luigi Mangione's murder of Brian Thompson – an innocent man and father of two young children – was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America," Bondi said in a statement.

"After careful consideration, I have directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty in this case."

Bondi also called the murder "an act of political violence" that "may have posed grave risk of death to additional persons."

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Mangione is charged in both state and federal court in the shooting of Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer. In the state case, Mangione has pleaded not guilty and could face life imprisonment with no parole if convicted.

Early on December 4, Mangione allegedly tracked Thompson, walked up behind him and fired several gunshots from a pistol with a silencer, federal prosecutors said. He had traveled to New York by bus from Atlanta about 10 days before the crime.

Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on December 9 following a tip from staff at a McDonald's restaurant, after a days-long manhunt.

His attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo has sought clarity on how simultaneous federal and state charges would work, calling the situation "highly unusual."

Thompson's murder brought to the surface overwhelming public frustration with the lucrative US commercial health care system and its millions of victims, with many painting Mangione as a hero.