The man accused of shooting up a subway train car last month in an attack that wounded 10 people pleaded not guilty Friday to terrorism and other charges.
Frank James was brought into federal court in Brooklyn, where District Judge William F. Kuntz began proceedings by asking James, “How are you today?”
“Pretty good,” James replied.
When asked about his educational history, James said he had attended public schools in the Bronx before earning his GED. He said that he also attended some trade schools.
James, 62, faces charges of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transit system and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Both charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The defendant was taken into custody on April 13, about 30 hours after authorities say he drove from Philadelphia and unleashed smoke bombs and dozens of bullets on a train packed with morning commuters as it approached a Brooklyn station. The victims of the shooting ranged in age from 16 to 60 years old; they all survived.
Authorities said James’s bank card, his mobile phone and the key to a van he had rented were found at the scene of the shooting. Police also said they found the Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol used in the shooting and traced it to James.
Defense attorney Mia Eisner-Grynberg had warned at the time of James’s arrest not to rush the trials, noting that James alerted police to his whereabouts. He was arrested in Manhattan’s East Village after he called a tip line saying he was at a fast food restaurant in that area of the city.
Eisner-Grynberg declined to comment outside of court on Friday.
The motive for the attack is not clear. In numerous rants he posted on YouTube, James, who is black, made bigoted comments about people of diverse backgrounds and lashed out at New York Mayor Eric Adams, complaining about the mental health care he received in the city years ago. .
James, who is being held without bail, is due back in court on July 25.
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