James Frank held without bail on terrorism charges
NEW YORK — The man charged in the Brooklyn subway shooting will be held without bond, a judge ordered during his first appearance in federal court on Thursday after a 24-hour hunt led to his arrest the day before. .
Frank R. James, 62, has been charged with terrorism or other violent attack on a public transportation system.
In a brief hearing Thursday, James appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne L. Mann in Brooklyn, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Assistant United States Attorney Sara Winik cited the breadth of the charges against the alleged shooter, saying he was dangerous to the community.
“In this case, the defendant opened fire in a terrifying manner on passengers on a crowded subway train” in an assault “not seen in over 20 years,” Winik said.
NIGHTMARE ON TRAIN N:Inside the terrifying moments during the Brooklyn subway shooting
James is accused of carrying out the attack which left at least 29 people injured, including 10 with gunshot wounds, after donning a gas mask, throwing smoke grenades and opening fire on an N train bound for Manhattan around 8.30am Tuesday, authorities say.
The shooting sparked a search for James who fled via another train to Sunset Park subway station, police said, and evaded capture for more than a day.
New York City Police Department patrol officers arrested him Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan’s East Village after a tip reached the department’s “crime stoppers” line. According to law enforcement officials who were not authorized to comment publicly, he was the one who called the “crime stoppers” line to report he was at a McDonald’s in Manhattan.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT FRANK JAMES:Suspect arrested in Brooklyn subway shooting
James poses ‘a grave and continuing danger to the community,’ prosecutor says
In a letter filed with the court ahead of the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Winik argued that James “presents a grave and ongoing danger to the community and a serious flight risk,” legal factors factored into bail decisions.
Winik also maintained that the attack was “entirely premeditated”, citing that James is accused of picking up a U-Haul in Pennsylvania before heading to Brooklyn.
Winik said he also “came to Brooklyn prepared with all the weapons and tools he needed to carry out the mass attack,” including a Glock 17 pistol, a gas can, a torch , explosive powder fireworks and a disguise consisting of a yellow helmet and an orange work jacket.
James was previously accused in the 90s of making terrorist threats in New Jersey
James was arrested in Essex County, New Jersey, 27 years ago for making terrorist threats, according to the district attorney’s office.
At the time, James, now 62, was charged with making terrorist threats during an incident in Fairfield, said Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. In the 1995 case, James was convicted on the lesser charge of harassment and sentenced to one year’s probation.
James had at least nine prior arrests in New York and at least three in New Jersey, the NYPD said.
—Nicholas Katzban, NorthJersey.com
Videos shed light on suspects’ travels and work history
Hundreds of videos on James’ YouTube channel reveal more about him, including his travels from Milwaukee to the East Coast in the past month and his work history.
In a video from 2021, James wears an Amazon cap. The company confirmed to USA TODAY that James worked for Amazon a year ago for a six-month period.
The videos also cover James’ thoughts on a wide range of topics including systemic racism, Russia’s war in Ukraine, city job training and mental health care initiatives, and other mass shootings. , including a shooting at the Molson Coors Beverage Company in Milwaukee on Feb. 26, 2020. Learn more here.
James arrived in New York on the day of the attack, had gasoline and a torch on the train, the complaint says
After James rented a U-Haul pickup truck in Philadelphia on Monday afternoon, police surveillance cameras captured photos of him entering Brooklyn on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge after 4 a.m. Tuesday, according to a federal criminal complaint not sealed. The U-Haul crossed state lines from Pennsylvania to New Jersey and then to New York, the complaint says.
When James arrived in Brooklyn, he parked a few blocks from an N train subway station, and surveillance video showed him walking around in an orange work coat and yellow construction hat as he he was carrying a backpack and dragging another bag with him, according to the complaint.
“NOT LIKE THIS HAPPENS HERE”:Subway attack shocks Sunset Park, a hub for working-class immigrants
After the shooting, a surveillance camera captured an image of James exiting the subway one stop north of the 36th Street station, the complaint says. The NYPD previously said James reentered the subway at Park Slope after the shooting.
Police recovered the work jacket along with other items from the scene, including a plastic gas tank, torch, U-Haul key, several bank cards, fireworks and a gun – a Glock 17 that James purchased legally in Ohio with its serial number apparently attempted to be defaced.
Police also executed search warrants at a storage unit and apartment James had rented and found additional ammunition and magazines, including for a rifle. No guns were found, but the complaint says James may have had “access to additional firearms”.
Investigators are still looking for the motive for the attack
Days after the shooting, police provided few clues as to what prompted the shooter to open fire. The unsealed criminal complaint mentions James’ YouTube videos, which New York police had previously referenced.
In one video, James mentions Mayor Adams and homeless people on the city’s subway trains, according to the court document. “What are you doing, bro? What’s going on with this homeless situation?” James said, referring to the mayor.
James also threatened violence in his videos, including saying he wanted to shoot a subway train, according to the complaint.
How James’ arrest went
About 30 hours after the subway carnage, James called the city’s “crime stoppers” line to report he was at a McDonald’s in Manhattan, law enforcement officials said. He told them to pick him up, said officials, who were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
But when officers arrived at the scene, he was not at the restaurant, NYPD Department Chief Kenneth Corey said.
“They start driving around the neighborhood looking for him. They see him on the corner of St. Mark’s (Place) and First (Avenue), and they take him into custody,” Corey said.
HOW DID THE ARREST HAPPEN:‘Everyday New Yorkers’ say they helped police find Brooklyn shooting suspect
Meanwhile, Zach Tahhan said he was fixing a camera system at the Saifee Hardware and Garden Store, a few doors down from McDonalds, when he noticed someone who appeared to be James walking by. A store manager, Frank Puebla, was outside with him. They looked at each other and knew it was the man whose face had been glued to the news and online.
“My eyes went right to his face and I noticed that was the guy,” Puebla said in an interview inside the store.
They saw a police car nearby and flagged officers. “Yo! It’s the guy! Tahhan said he yelled at the police. The couple watched in disbelief as officers arrested James.
Police did not say where James was after the attack and before he was captured.
Contributors: Christal Hayes, Swapna Venugopal, Kevin McCoy, Grace Hauck, Gabriela Miranda and Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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