Suspected New York subway shooter arrested and charged with terrorist act
Steph Deschamps / April 14, 2022
The man suspected of shooting into the New York City subway during rush hour Tuesday morning, causing chaos and injuring 23 people, 10 of them by gunfire, was arrested Wednesday and will be prosecuted for terrorist attack, authorities said.Wanted for more than 24 hours, the suspect, Frank James, a 62-year-old African-American, was arrested in the East Village district of Manhattan, thanks to a report, according to the New York police. We got him, congratulated at a press conference the Democratic mayor of New York, Eric Adams, expected to turn on the issue of fighting crime, he who had made a campaign theme to be elected last year.
Tuesday morning, around 8:30 a.m., in a crowded train of the N line, the suspect, who wore a gas mask, ignited two devices that ignited the car, then shot at the passengers as the train entered the station 36th street in southern Brooklyn, injuring 23 people, 10 of them by bullets. Among the victims hospitalized were several teenagers, announced Tuesday eveningthe governor of the state, Kathy Hochul.
The police had launched a manhunt to find the suspect as soon as possible and to reassure the New Yorkers, who had resumed the way of the subway Wednesday morning, for some with a point of concern. I don't really have a choice, I have to take the subway I always pay attention to what surrounds me since September 11 (2001), Laura Swalm, 49, who lives in the neighboring state of New Jersey, told AFP.
Known to police, Frank James had 12 prior arrests in New York and New Jersey, including for sex offenses, robbery and disorderly conduct, authorities said, but he had never been convicted of a crime in New York State.
The man, who will be arraigned Thursday in a Brooklyn courtroom, is now facing federal charges for his act, a terrorist attack on public transportation, announced federal law enforcement officer Michael Driscoll. If convicted, the New York native faces a life sentence, said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.
His motives remain to be clarified. Frank James had a YouTube page, named prophetoftruth88 (prophet of truth), which was removed Wednesday morning for violating the community rules of the site. He published multiple videos where we can see him launching long tirades, sometimes rambling and vehement, in which he evokes racial issues, insecurity in New York, especially in the subway, and attacks on gay people, or the new mayor Eric Adams.
We were really lucky that it was not much more serious, said Tuesday the head of the New York Police Department, Keechant Sewell, summarizing the relief of authorities. The suspect fired 33 bullets.
At the scene, investigators recovered three magazines and a Glock 17 pistol, legally purchased in Ohio by an individual named Frank Robert James, according to the indictment. All you see is black smoke, and I turned to the right, and I saw this guy in a mask, one of the victims, Hourari Benkada, testified on CNN from his hospital bed. The shooting lasted about a minute (...). I have never heard so many shots from a handgun. He probably had extended magazines or another firearm, added the man, who was shot in the knee.