Suspect arrested after shooting in subway

After the dramatic scenes with shots and at least 23 injuries in the New York subway, the police caught a suspect. “We have him,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference on Wednesday. The 62-year-old man, who had previously been searched for hours, was caught after a tip from the population in the East Village in southeast Manhattan, the authorities said. The man did not resist. A reward of $50,000 (around €46,000) had previously been offered for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

The man is now to be charged with violating a law that prohibits “terrorist and other violent attacks” on public transport. If convicted, he faces a life sentence. According to the authorities, the New York-born suspect, who last gave his residence in Philadelphia and Wisconsin, is known to the police – he has already been arrested nine times in different US states, it said. According to initial investigation results, he acted alone. The background to the motive was initially unclear.

In the incident during rush hour on Tuesday morning, according to initial findings, a man opened fire on a subway in Brooklyn, New York. The man was sitting in a back corner in the second car of an N train bound for Manhattan between the 59 St and 36 St stations. He wore an orange-green construction worker vest, a corona protective mask, a gray hooded sweater and a neon-green construction worker helmet.

The man then put on a type of gas mask, opened two canisters that emitted smoke or fog, and then opened fire. In total, he shot 33 times. The man was able to escape – how he managed to do it and his motive were initially unclear, according to the police. The incident is not currently being investigated as a terrorist act.

The train stopped at the 36 St station in the Sunset Park neighborhood. Videos showed people pouring out of the subway car surrounded by clouds of fog or smoke, some lying on the ground, blood was seen, others tended to the injured.

Shots in the New York subway: no one is in danger

At least 23 people were injured. “Ten people were injured by gunfire and another 13 were either injured while rushing out of the station or suffered from smoke inhalation,” Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at the news conference. However, none of them are in mortal danger. The police had previously spoken of at least 16 injuries. “We’re really lucky it wasn’t significantly worse than it is.” The New York City Police Department increased their presence on the subway.

According to Sewell, a semi-automatic handgun, several magazines and a small ax were found at the crime scene. A liquid suspected to be gasoline and a bag of fireworks were also found.

In New York, numerous shootings and other criminal cases have made headlines in recent months – including in the subway. Mayor Adams, a former police officer who took office earlier this year, said he would crack down on crime. He spoke on Tuesday of a “difficult day for New York”.

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