NEW YORK (AP) – A man accused of setting fire to a subway car in Brooklyn full of people was thrown into jail on bail Thursday as prosecutors told a judge he had terrified all of New York.
Brought to Brooklyn Federal Court without handcuffs, 62-year-old Frank James quietly answered standard questions about whether he understood the charges and the purpose of the brief hearing. His lawyer later asked the public not to warn him.
James was arrested in Manhattan after calling a police line to say his whereabouts on Wednesday, leaving 10 people with gunshot wounds and countless others fearing safety in the busiest subway hours a day after the nighttime rush hour attack. in the country.
Authorities say he dropped smoke bombs and dozens of bullets on a train full of morning passengers. He has been charged with a federal terrorist offense involving attacks on public transport systems – authorities say there is currently no evidence linking him to terrorist organizations and they are still trying to find a motive.
“The defendant opened terrifying fire on passengers on a crowded subway train, interrupting their morning commute to work in a way the city has not seen in more than 20 years,” said Assistant Attorney General Sarah K. Winick, apparently referring to 11 Sept. , 2001, attacks.
“The defendant’s attack was deliberate, carefully planned and terrified the victims and our entire city,” she said.
While James was in court, Hurary Benkada was in a hospital bed with a bullet wound to his leg.
Bencada said he was just steps away from the shooter on the train and has been struggling to sleep ever since. Tuesday’s terrifying scene continues to swirl in his mind.
“I’m still shocked by this,” Bencada said in a video interview Thursday, grimacing in pain as he recalled the attack.
He was wearing headphones, music was blaring as smoke began to fill the subway car. At first he thought it was a small fire. But the smoke “continued to escalate to black, black smoke like 9/11,” he said, “and the whole train was tar.
Then there were shots, screams and a safety rush. Bencada said he tried to protect a pregnant woman from being hit in the chaos, and as people pushed forward, a shot tore in his knee.
All victims of the shooting, aged 16 to 60, are expected to survive.
Prosecutors described James in court documents as a calculating shooter wearing a camouflage helmet – a construction worker’s helmet and jacket that were thrown away immediately after the attack – and shooting “in cold blood at terrified passengers who had nowhere to run or hide.”
But defense attorney Mia Eisner-Greenberg warned against rushing the verdict.
“Initial reports in a case like this are often inaccurate,” she told the court. She noted that James informed the police of his whereabouts, 30 hours after the search, which included cell phone alerts to the general public.
When he found out he was wanted, “he called Crime Stoppers to help,” Eisner-Greenberg said.
The chase began to focus on downtown Manhattan after police received a signal from a sharp high school student during a photography trip.
Jack Griffin, 17, said he was looking for objects when he was drawn to a man sitting on a bench with a luggage bag resting in the hustle and bustle of a street near Chinatown.
“As soon as I saw him, my first instinct was, ‘This is him,'” Griffin said. He took a few pictures of the man muttering something and hurried on. Griffin then sent his photos to police, who sent officers to the area.
Eventually, police received 911 reports of other possible sightings – and received a call from James saying he was at a McDonald’s in the East Village. He had disappeared when police arrived, but bystanders spotted him and pointed to police as they searched the neighborhood. James was caught a few blocks from McDonald’s.
Two cousins, Zach Dahan and Mohammad Sheikh, said they saw the man and quickly searched the poster to find James on their phones.
“And we say, ‘Oh my God, this is the man!'” When a number of people began to follow him, Dahan said. The cousins said they had directed officers at him.
James’ lawyers agreed on Thursday that he would be thrown in jail, but said they could ask for bail later.
At the request of James’ lawyers, Magistrate Roan Mann said he would ask for James to receive “psychiatric attention” as well as magnesium tablets for leg cramps at Brooklyn Federal Prison, where he is being held.
Authorities say a lot of evidence links James to the attack. His bank card, mobile phone and a key to a van he rented were found at the scene of the shooting. Police also found the pistol they said was used in the shooting; Tracking records show that James bought the gun from a licensed gun dealer in Ohio in 2011.
In court documents, prosecutors allege that James had the means to carry out more attacks, noting that he had ammunition and other weapons-related items in a Philadelphia warehouse.
Born in New York, he recently lived in Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
Investigators investigated many hours of videos posted by James on social media recently on Monday, in which he swore at racism, public attitudes toward blacks, homelessness and violence. He also discussed his history of psychiatric treatment and complained about how the mayor of New York was dealing with homeless people on the subway and gun violence.
He also spoke of shooting at people, prosecutors said in court documents.
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Associated Press reporters Jim Mustian, Michael R. Sisak, Deepti Hadjela and Seth Wenig contributed.
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