The man accused of one of the most violent rampages on New York City’s public transportation system in years is expected to plead guilty to terrorism charges in the Brooklyn subway shooting, authorities said.
Frank James’ lawyer filed paperwork Wednesday indicating he would enter a guilty plea in the April 12 attack, and a hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 3.
The gunfire and smoke bomb attack on a Brooklyn subway that wounded 10 people and injured 13 others, shook the city and set off a 30-hour manhunt before James was arrested in Manhattan.
The gunman donned a gas mask and set off two smoke canisters before gunfire erupted about 8:30 a.m. aboard a Manhattan-bound train, police said.
Police have said James, then 62, rented a U-Haul, and the keys to the van were found at the scene of the shooting in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood.
Authorities said James appeared to post videos of himself on social media expressing bigoted views, violence and criticism of New York Mayor Eric Adams’ policies addressing public safety and homeless outreach on subways.
Federal prosecutors said in April that James had premeditated intentions and access to a stockpile of weapons.
“The defendant committed a premeditated mass shooting on the New York City subway system and then fled the scene, with a stockpile of ammunition and other dangerous items stowed in his storage unit,” the federal prosecutors wrote.
A federal grand jury in May indicted James on charges of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Both counts carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. The weapons count has a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.
The same month, James pleaded not guilty to the charges in Brooklyn federal court.
The Associated Press contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
