Airport shoot susp eyed N.Y.

ACCUSED AIRPORT shooter Esteban Santiago might initially have planned to travel to New York City instead of Florida to carry out the shooting spree that killed five people in Fort Lauderdale, a report said on Monday.

The 26-year-old Iraq war veteran had a reservation to fly to the city on New Year’s Eve, but he canceled the trip a few days before and instead booked a oneway $278 ticket from Alaska to Fort Lauderdale for Friday, ABC News reported, citing counterterrorism officials.

The highly visible NYPD presence in the city might have deterred him, officials told the network.

Also on Monday, Santiago (inset) got a public defender after he told a judge he has no job and less than $10 in the bank.

He was in court facing charges for allegedly killing five people at the baggage claim of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Santiago was charged with carrying out violence at an airport and killing with a firearm.

The judge told Santiago that if he’s convicted, he could face the death penalty. He was held without bond.

Authorities said Santiago flew 5,000 miles in a planned attack that also wounded six. Dozens more suffered minor injuries as they ran for their lives.

Investigators said after Santiago landed, he got a 9-mm. semiautomatic handgun and ammunition from his checked luggage and loaded the weapon in a bathroom.

Then he returned to the baggage claim and walked “while shooting in a methodical manner” 10 to 15 times, according to the criminal complaint.

Santiago spoke only briefly during the hearing. Asked about his employment, he said he had been working at a security firm for the past couple of years until November, earning about $2,000 per month.