New York, Jan 3 (EFE) .UU.
Frank James, 63, caused a great commotion in the city on April 12, 2022, when inside a subway car in which he was traveling, during the morning rush hour, he threw two smoke bombs and fired indiscriminately once morest the occupants.
There were no deaths, but ten people were injured by bullets and others had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
James, who was arrested a day following the attack, today pleaded guilty in a Brooklyn court to eleven counts: one of discharging a weapon during a violent crime, and ten others – one for each victim – of terrorist attack once morest a system collective transport.
“My intent was to cause serious bodily injury to people on the subway. Although it was not my intent to cause death, I was fully aware that a death or deaths might occur as a result of my shooting in an enclosed space such as a carriage.” he declared, according to the ABC 7 channel.
The man faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on all counts.
Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said the guilty plea is “an important step in holding James accountable and helping victims of the defendant’s violence” move forward.
The attack, the most serious in many years on the Big Apple’s transportation system, wreaked havoc and paralyzed the city’s subway for several hours.
According to prosecutors, the defendant had been planning the attack since 2017, when he began buying weapons and the costume he used to pretend to be a subway worker, with an orange reflective jacket and a yellow helmet.
His motives are unknown, but he had a YouTube channel spreading conspiracy theories and rants once morest the New York subway and crime in the city.
In addition, he had a long criminal record, having been arrested nine times in New York between 1992 and 1998 and another three times in neighboring New Jersey.
(c) EFE Agency
