NYC subway shooter pleads GUILTY to terror counts

Frank James, who opened fire on a crowded train in New York City in one of the worst attacks on subway systems in years, pleaded guilty Tuesday to terrorism charges in connection with the April shooting.

James, 63, admitted in Brooklyn federal court to pulling the trigger on the northbound N train traveling through Sunset Park, Brooklyn on April 12, shooting 10 people and wounding 23 others.

No one was killed in the incident, but the unprecedented attack shocked many in the city and sparked a 24-hour manhunt before James called police and was arrested in Manhattan.

His lawyers wrote in court documents last month that James planned to plead guilty to all 11 terrorism charges against him without a plea deal. He now faces life in prison for the attack.

Prosecutors have asked federal judge William Kuntz II to sentence James to more than 40 years in prison for the attack.

They wrote in a letter last week that he should be jailed beyond the sentence of roughly 32 to 29 years that federal guidelines recommend, arguing that James planned the attack for years and endangered the lives of dozens of people. FOX 5 reports.

James “opened terribly at passengers on a crowded subway train, disrupting their morning commute in a way this city hasn’t seen in more than 20 years,” Assistant US Attorney Sara Winik said when James first appeared before the court.

“The defendant’s attack was premeditated, was carefully planned, and caused terror among the victims and our entire city.”

Prosecutors also suggested in court documents that James had the means to carry out further attacks.

He was previously charged with a single terrorism offense to which he pleaded not guilty, but the charges against him were later upgraded.

Ten of the charges to which he pleaded guilty Tuesday, one for each victim, charge him with committing a terrorist attack on a mass transit system.

The eleventh count charges James with discharging a firearm in a violent crime.

James was due to stand trial in February on these charges, but his lawyers wrote in court documents on December 21 that he will plead guilty.

Kuntz had since issued an order directing the US Marshals Service to use “all necessary force” to ensure that James appeared for plea proceedings on Tuesday, noting that he did not appear for hearings. previous.

In October, for example, the gunman resisted being taken to Brooklyn federal court but turned up later after Kuntz issued a similar warrant.

At the time of the attack, James, dressed in a construction worker’s vest and helmet, donned a gas mask and hurled smoke grenades towards the train car before opening fire.

Videos from the scene showed hundreds of passengers frantically running for the exits as shots were fired, while others were left bleeding in the station.

The Bronx-born, Milwaukee-based suspect was finally arrested while strolling down the street on April 13.

In court documents, prosecutors detailed how more ammunition had been found in James’s rented Philadelphia apartment, including an extended round magazine that was fit for a semi-automatic rifle.

His 9mm pistol was later found at the 36th Street Subway Station after the attack, along with spent shell casings, fireworks, and a key to his U-Haul.

Police also searched a storage unit in Philadelphia where he kept more ammunition, a torch and a gun silencer.

There was also a propane tank in the U-Haul when police pounced on it hours after the attack.

James allegedly dumped the truck five miles from the 36th Street subway and was filmed driving away. His motive remains unknown.

James has a criminal record dating back to 1992, when he pleaded guilty to attempted petty theft.

He was known for the FBI’s Guardian Program, which tracks terrorist threats and suspects, for an incident in New Mexico in 2019.

At that time, he was cleared of all wrongdoing.

But in a YouTube video posted just a day before the attack, James said he wanted to harm people, calling himself the Prophet of Doom.

I can tell that he wanted to kill people. I wanted to see people die,” she said.

Another video showed him flagging down passengers one by one in a packed New York City subway car.

Other videos showed James ranting about discrimination and complaining about white people.

Mayor Eric Adams suggested that it was YouTube’s responsibility to monitor the videos and report them.

“There is a corporate responsibility when we are seeing hate brewing online,” Adams said at the time.

‘We can identify [hate] using artificial intelligence and other methods to identify those who speak of violence.’

Critics accused Adams of passing the buck, pointing out that surveillance cameras at the station were down, allowing James to flee, and that the NYPD couldn’t find him, even though he wandered Manhattan for nearly 24 hours. hours after the attack and finally called the police. the same.

A month after the attack in May, lawyers for James accused FBI investigators of violating his rights by swabbing his cheek for a DNA sample and forcing him to sign documents without asking his legal team for permission or making sure they were there according to James’s instructions. legal rights.

No further details of that interaction at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Correctional Center have been shared.