New York, January 3. The man accused of shooting and wounding ten people in the New York subway early last year pleaded guilty Tuesday to terrorism crimes, the US Department of Justice said.
Frank James, 63, caused great havoc in the city on April 12, 2022, when inside a subway car in which he was traveling, in the morning rush hour, he threw two smoke bombs and fired indiscriminately at the occupants.
There were no deaths, but ten people were injured by bullets and others had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
James, who was arrested the day after the attack, pleaded guilty today in a Brooklyn court to eleven counts: one to discharging a weapon during a violent crime, and another ten – one for each victim – for a terrorist attack against a mass transit system.
“My intent was to cause grievous bodily harm to people on the subway. While it was not my intention to cause death, I was fully aware that one or more deaths could occur as a result of my shooting in an enclosed space such as a carriage.” he said, according to the ABC 7 channel.
The man risks the maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted to all intents and purposes.
Eastern District of New York attorney Breon Peace said the guilty plea is “an important step in holding James accountable and helping victims of the defendant’s violence” move forward.
The attack, the most serious in many years to the transport system of the Big Apple, devastated and paralyzed the subway of the city for several hours.
According to prosecutors, the defendant had been planning the attack since 2017, when he started buying weapons and the costume he used to pretend to be a subway worker, with an orange reflective jacket and yellow helmet.
His motives are unknown, but he had a YouTube channel spreading conspiracy theories and rants against the New York City subway and crime in the city.
In addition, he had a long criminal record, having been arrested nine times in New York between 1992 and 1998 and three more times in neighboring New Jersey. EFE extension
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