New York shooting: Man wanted over subway attacks arrested in Manhatten

Authorities on Wednesday arrested the man suspected of setting off smoke bombs and shooting 10 passengers in a New York subway car, Mayor Eric Adams said, capping a manhunt that had renewed fears of violence in the city's transit system.

"My fellow New Yorkers, we got him. We got him," Adams told a press conference. "We're going to protect the people of this city and apprehend those who believe they can bring terror to everyday New Yorkers."

New York Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell said the suspect, Frank James, was arrested with the help of a tip following a 30-hour search.

James faces a federal charge of a terrorism attack on mass transportation, officials said.

Law enforcement officers stand guard at the scene of a shooting at a subway station in the Brooklyn borough of New York City
EDUARDO MUNOZ

Police said James, 62, fired a semi-automatic handgun on Tuesday that was later recovered at the scene, along with three extended-ammunition magazines, a hatchet, some consumer-grade fireworks and a container of gasoline.

In addition to those shot, five of whom were in critical but stable condition on Wednesday, 13 other people were injured in a panicked rush to flee the smoke-filled train. All of the victims were expected to survive.

The attack was the latest burst of violence that has plagued the largest U.S. city transit system, and posed a new challenge for Mayor Eric Adams, who has tried to halt declining ridership during the pandemic and ensure public safety.

James was apprehended in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood after being spotted by bystanders who posted pictures of him to social media that alerted police, local media reported.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) says James, who has addresses in Philadelphia and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, left keys to a rented U-Haul van at the crime scene in the 36th Street station, in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood.

Investigators found a number of social media posts linked to a person named Frank James that mentioned homelessness and Mayor Adams, Sewell said. A YouTube account apparently belonging to James was taken down Wednesday "for violating YouTube's Community Guidelines," the video platform said.