Police apprehended Frank R. James, who will face federal prosecution for allegedly opening fire on a Brooklyn subway, wounding 10 and injuring 13 others, officials said Wednesday.
What We Know:
- James was taken into custody after police received a Crime Stoppers tip directing them to the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, authorities said.
“My fellow New Yorkers, we got him,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is in isolation following a positive Covid-19 test, told reporters in a video feed.
- He will be charged with a federal crime, for allegedly carrying out a terrorist act on mass transit, U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said.
- Surveillance video obtained by NBC New York apparently showed James swiping a subway card, trying to enter a station before Tuesday’s attack, giving authorities a clearer look at the suspect.
- A 9mm Glock handgun left at the scene has been traced by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators to James and a pawn shop in Columbus, law enforcement said. The suspect purchased it there in 2011, sources said
- The bag left behind at the station included a variety of fireworks and other pyrotechnic equipment that an Ohio-based fireworks seller believes came from him, he told NBC News.
Based on widely circulated pictures of this bag, Phantom Fireworks CEO Bruce Zoldan said that images show four distinct, proprietary items that link to his business — and they were purchased in June last year in Wisconsin by a 62-year-old man named Frank James.
“We found people (in sales records) that bought two of those items, individuals that bought three of those items, individuals that bought one of those items,” Zoldan said. “Only one person bought four of those items, exact four items.”
- Before the subway attack, James appeared to post several rambling videos on YouTube in which he voiced bigoted and controversial views as well as scathing criticism of Adams and his public safety policies and homeless outreach programs on trains.
Adams retweeted pictures of City Hall staffers who rode rails on Wednesday, adding: “Proud of this team.”
Portions of this article were obtained by CNBC.
