Shooting suspect to remain in jail
• A U.S. federal judge on Thursday ordered the man accused of this week's mass shooting in a New York City subway car to remain in custody, after prosecutors said his “terrifying” attack disrupted in the city in a way not seen in two decades.
The man, Frank James, suspected of injuring 23 people in the attack, made an initial court appearance Thursday wearing a beige prison garb, sneakers, black eyeglasses and a blue surgical mask. He faces a federal charge of violently attacking a mass transit system.
James, 62, was represented by two public defenders, who requested that he undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
“The defendant terrifyingly opened fire on passengers in a crowded subway train,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Winik said in court, adding that the incident interrupted “the morning commute in a way this city hasn't seen in more than 20 years.”
“He fired approximately 33 rounds in cold blood at terrified passengers who had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide,” she said in a court filing.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne Mann ordered James to be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, the main jail for defendants awaiting federal trial in New York City, pending a bail application from his lawyers.
James was arrested on Wednesday in Lower Manhattan, capping a 30-hour manhunt for the lone suspect.
James was taken into custody about eight kilometres from the scene of Tuesday's assault, which unfolded during the morning rush-hour.
Investigators said they established James as a suspect when a sweep of the crime scene turned up a credit card in his name and the keys to a U-Haul van that he had rented and left parked a several blocks away.
The next day, investigators tracked James down to Manhattan's East Village neighbourhood with the help of tips from residents who recognized him from wanted photos, police said. He was taken into custody without incident, according to officials.
Authorities have offered no possible motive for the assault. But according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case, James posted a number of YouTube videos addressing statements to New York City's mayor about homelessness and the subway system.
The New York Times and New York Post, each citing law enforcement sources, reported that James himself alerted police to his general whereabouts on Wednesday in a call he placed to a tip line from a McDonald's fastfood outlet.