NEW YORK: A 62-year-old man accused of shooting 10 people on the New York subway was taken into custody on Wednesday and faces a federal terror charge, following a day-long manhunt in a city set on edge by the attack.
Frank James — who is suspected of detonating two smoke canisters as the train pulled into a Brooklyn station, before firing into the crowd — was stopped by officers on a Manhattan street, and arrested without incident.
“My fellow New Yorkers: we got him,” Mayor Eric Adams told a news conference.
“There was nowhere left for him to run,” added New York Police Department commissioner Keechant Sewell, whose officers made the arrest acting on a tip.
Announcing the charges against James, US District Attorney Breon Peace said he could face a life sentence if convicted of violating a federal prohibition on “terrorist and other violent attacks against mass transportation systems.”
Michael J Driscoll, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York office, also characterised the shooting as “a terrorist attack on mass transit.”
No one was killed in Tuesday’s attack, which left 13 others injured in the scramble to get out of the station, or by smoke inhalation.
James has nine prior arrests in New York, from 1992 to 1998, including possession of burglary tools and a criminal act and was also arrested three times in nearby New Jersey for trespass, larceny and disorderly conduct, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig.
Police recovered a Glock 17 nine-millimetre handgun, three additional ammunition magazines and a hatchet from the scene of the attack, as well as James’ credit card and keys to a van he had rented.
The suspect had posted several videos of himself on YouTube delivering long, sometimes aggressive political tirades, as well as criticising New York’s mayor. His page was taken down following the attack, for violating YouTube’s guidelines.
But James’ sister, Catherine James Robinson, told The New York Times that she was “surprised” to see him named as a suspect, adding: “I don’t think he would do anything like that.” She said she had had little contact with her brother for years, according to the newspaper.
The 36th Street station in Brooklyn, where the attack took place, was heavily patrolled by police on Wednesday.
“Today I was so reluctant, I actually tried to get a cab for like nearly maybe 20 minutes. I couldn’t find any and Uber was like $60 bucks and so I was like ‘It’s okay, I’ll try my chance on the subway today,'” 38-year-old commuter Zeina Awedikian said. – AFP
