3 min read

Suspect Arrested in Brooklyn Subway Shooting

Frank James, the suspect in Tuesday's attack on subway riders in New York City, was arrested and charged with terrorism.
Suspect Arrested in Brooklyn Subway Shooting

Following a deadly attack on subway riders in Brooklyn earlier this week, the accused suspect Frank James was ordered held without bail at his first court appearance on Thursday. After a city-wide search, James was arrested in Manhattan on Wednesday and charged with federal terrorism-related charges.

"Brought into a Brooklyn federal court without handcuffs, a subdued Frank James, 62, softly answered standard questions about whether he understood the charges and the purpose of the brief hearing," writes Tom Hays and Booby Caina Calvin for the Associated Press.

"The defendant committed a premeditated mass shooting on the New York City subway system and then fled the scene, with a stockpile of ammunition and other dangerous items stowed in his storage unit," according to federal prosecutors. The storage unit is believed to be in the Philadelphia area.

Brooklyn subway attack suspect ordered held without bail (Tom Hays & Bobby Caina Calvin - Associated Press)

Excerpt from AP: James was arrested in Manhattan after calling a police tip line to say where he was Wednesday, a day after the nightmarish rush-hour attack left 10 people with gunshot wounds and countless others fearing for their safety on the nation’s busiest subway system. Authorities say he unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets, in a train full of morning commuters. He’s charged with a federal terrorism offense that applies to attacks on mass transit systems.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbed from Getty Images

In a CNN article on the 30-hour manhunt for James, Christina Maxouris writes that "a key, a neon construction jacket, a gun" were the items "left behind in a bloody crime scene at a Brooklyn subway station Tuesday morning" and offered investigators some of their first clues to the investigation.

Inside the 30-hour search for the Brooklyn subway shooting suspect (Christina Maxouris - CNN)

Excerpt from CNN: In a matter of hours, those discoveries led to a person of interest. And Wednesday, as more evidence piled up, authorities named the man a suspect, urging the public to contact police if they saw him. The suspected shooter called in a tip on himself and was arrested about an hour later, two law enforcement sources said. James allegedly fired at least 33 times, hitting 10 people. The motive is still unknown, officials have said.
Embed from Getty Images

In a related story about the heroes from that day, Matthew Cantor for The Guardian writes, "In the aftermath of the Brooklyn subway shooting, social media has found its latest star. Zack Tahhan, 21, was quickly anointed as a hero, but the real story, it seems, was more complicated."

According to Cantor, "media reports have established Tahhan as a security camera technician from Syria who arrived in the US five years ago and speaks five languages." However, since Wednesday, "reports have portrayed a more complex scene – and introduced a few more stars to the cast."

Zack Tahhan is being hailed for his NYPD tipoff. That’s not the whole story (Matthew Cantor - The Guardian)

Excerpt from The Guardian: [Tahhan] has certainly made the biggest splash. In videos that quickly spread on Twitter, Tahhan explains that he spotted James on security cameras. “I thought, ‘Oh shit, this guy, let me call the police,’” he says in one clip. He was soon telling his story to a gaggle of reporters in Manhattan’s East Village before heading off in a police car, waving as onlookers cheered. New York state attorney general, Letitia James, thanked Tahhan for his bravery: “All of New York is grateful.”
Embed from Getty Images