Image copyright AP Image caption James Harris Jackson reportedly admitted he harboured feelings of hatred towards black men

A white US army veteran accused of stabbing a black man to death has been charged with murder as an act of terrorism in a New York court.

James Harris Jackson, 28, earlier admitted stabbing Timothy Caughman, 66, with a sword in Manhattan on 20 March.

He is already charged with the murder as a hate crime.

He is said to have admitted he had harboured feelings of hatred towards black men for years and last week's attack was a "practice run".

On Monday, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance said in a statement that Mr Jackson "prowled the streets of New York for three days in search of a black person to assassinate in order to launch a campaign of terrorism against our Manhattan community and the values we celebrate".

"Last week, with total presence of mind, he acted on his plan, randomly selecting a beloved New Yorker solely on the basis of his skin colour, and stabbing him repeatedly and publicly on a Midtown street corner."

Mr Jackson earlier told police he had travelled by bus to New York City from his home city of Baltimore.

Image copyright Timothy Caughman Image caption Timothy Caughman was attacked while collecting bottles for recycling

When he came across Mr Caughman he allegedly stabbed him in the chest and back with a sword.

Mr Caughman was pronounced dead in hospital.

The suspect later walked into a Times Square police station and was arrested.

James Harris Jackson served in the US Army from March 2009 to August 2012 and worked as a military intelligence analyst, the army said. He was deployed in Afghanistan from 2010-11.

Mr Caughman's friends have described him as a kind man and a good neighbour.

Portia Clark told AP news agency: "Tim Caughman did not deserve to die like that... Nobody does. I mean, come on, we're black, white, yellow, brown - that's ridiculous. We're trying to get along."