Brooklyn subway attack suspect ordered held without bail
Published:Thursday | April 14, 2022 | 12:17 PM
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of opening fire on a crowded subway train in Brooklyn was ordered held without bail as prosecutors told a judge Thursday he terrified all of New York City.
Frank James, 62, spoke only to answer “yes” to standard questions during the brief proceeding in a federal court in Brooklyn.
He was arrested in Manhattan on Wednesday, a day after authorities say he unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets in a train full of morning commuters, shooting 10 people.
He's charged with a federal terrorism offence that applies to attacks on mass transit systems — authorities say there's currently no evidence linking him to terror organisations.
“The defendant terrifyingly opened fire on passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute in a way the city hasn't seen in more than 20 years,” Assistant US attorney Sara K. Winik said.
“The defendant's attack was premeditated, was carefully planned, and it caused terror among the victims and our entire city.”
In court papers, prosecutors called the shooting 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.
His lawyer, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, agreed to his being held without bail, at least for now. His attorneys could seek bail later on.
At the request of James' lawyers, Magistrate Roanne Mann said she would ask the federal Bureau of Prisons to provide James with “psychiatric attention,” as well as magnesium tablets for leg cramps, at the federal lockup in Brooklyn where he's being held.
James didn't respond to shouted questions from reporters Wednesday as he was led from a police precinct into a car headed for a federal detention centre.
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