New York City: Brooklyn subway attack suspect to make 1st court appearance

Suspect Frank James is led by police from Ninth Precinct after being arrested for his connection to the mass shooting at the 36th St subway station on April 13, 2022 in New York City. Pic/AFP

The man accused of opening fire on a crowded subway train in Brooklyn is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday as investigators continue to examine his possible motive.

Frank James, 62, was arrested in Manhattan on Wednesday, a day after the attack. Authorities say he unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets in a train full of morning commuters, shooting 10 people.

"He fired approximately 33 rounds in cold blood at terrified passengers who had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide," federal prosecutors wrote on Thursday in court papers asking that James be held without bail.

They called the shooting premeditated and calculated, saying that James wore a hard hat and construction worker-style jacket as a disguise and then shed them after the gunfire to avoid recognition.

Prosecutors suggested James had the means to carry out more attacks, noting that he had ammunition and other gun-related items in a Philadelphia storage unit.

A lawyer appointed to represent him didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

James didn't respond to shouting reporters Wednesday as he was led from a police precinct into a car headed for a federal detention center.

Authorities say a trove of evidence connects James to the attack. His credit card and a key to a van he had rented were found at the shooting scene.

Officers also found the handgun they said was used in the shooting; tracing records show James purchased the gun from a licensed gun dealer in Ohio in 2011.

Investigators were examining many hours of videos that James posted on social media, including one a day before the attack, in which he delivered profanity-laced diatribes about racism, society's treatment of Black people, homelessness and violence.

He also talked about his history of psychiatric treatment, and he complained about New York's mayor is dealing with homeless people on subways and with gun violence.

James was born and raised in New York City but had moved to Milwaukee. He'd recently left Wisconsin and had briefly lived in Philadelphia.

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