NEW YORK (CBS)
A man suspected of violently attacking New York City subway passengers on Tuesday appeared in federal court on Thursday and was ordered to be detained without bail.
On Thursday, Frank James pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors said the attack was deliberate and constituted an act of terror. If convicted, James could spend the rest of his life in prison, according to CBS New York.
Ten people were shot and wounded, and about a dozen others were injured in the attack, which police said the suspect blew smoke into a crowded train car before opening fire. Authorities say James faces federal charges of terrorism and a possible life sentence. Police are still investigating the motives of the attack, which took place at rush hour on Tuesday morning.
James was arrested Wednesday afternoon in the East Village area of Manhattan. Officials said he called the police hotline to surrender.
At a news conference in New York on Tuesday, Police Commissioner Kitchent Sewell said the attack began around 8:24 a.m. when a man traveling on train N in the Sunset Park area of Brooklyn, “put on what appeared to be a gas mask ”Before picking up. get the canister and open it, releasing smoke into the subway car. Then he started firing.
In a federal complaint filed Wednesday, officials said James is suspected of using a Glock 17 pistol he purchased in Ohio. They included a photo of the footprints on the pistol’s serial number and indicated that they believed James might have tried to “spoil” the number.
James was originally involved in the case when investigators found the key to the U-Haul van at the scene of the shooting and determined that the van was rented by James. The van was found Tuesday afternoon elsewhere in Brooklyn.
Officials said axes, fireworks and gasoline were also found in the van. A receipt found on a subway platform led police to a shelter in Philadelphia, where they found 9mm ammunition, a device that allows you to attach a silencer or silencer to a pistol, target and .223 caliber ammunition used with the AR. -15 semi-automatic rifle, according to the complaint. During a search of his apartment, according to the complaint, another gun was found.
It seems that in recent weeks, James has published a series of videos on the Internet in which he expresses many complaints, including against New York Mayor Eric Adams, and complains about the number of homeless people in New York. The videos also include commentary on how easy he thought it would be to commit crimes in the subway system, regardless of the increased police presence.
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