Defendant in New York Subway Shooting Will Be Jailed Without Bail

A federal judge ordered Thursday that the man accused of last Tuesday's shooting in a New York subway car, named Frank James, continue a prisoner without bail, during a brief hearing during which the detainee did not plead guilty.

The court-appointed legal aid attorney for James, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, agreed that her client would remain in the custody of federal authorities without bail, although she could later request bail from the court, according to local media.

He also asked that James, who wore the cream uniform of the federal prison where he is in Brooklyn, be subjected to a psychiatric evaluation, given his background.

The prosecution assured the court during the Brooklyn County federal court hearing that the shooting “was premeditated” and that the suspect wore a construction worker's helmet and jacket as a costume and then removed them to avoid recognition.

“The defendant, in a terrifying way, opened fire on passengers in a crowded subway, interrupting their morning commute in a way that this city has not seen in more than twenty years,” said prosecutor Sara Winik about the incident that occurred last Tuesday at 8.30 am (12.30 GMT), at rush hour.

The attacker dropped two smoke bombs and then began firing indiscriminately at the occupants of an N-line train in Brooklyn, leaving ten gunshot wounds and thirteen others who had to be treated for various injuries or intoxications caused during the event.

“The defendant's attack was premeditated, carefully planned and caused terror among the victims and our entire city,” said the prosecutor, who warned that, if released, James “poses a serious risk of danger to the community” and asked that he remain detained pending trial.

James was arrested 30 hours after he fired on a subway line in the city, after he himself alerted authorities to his location, next to a McDonald's fast food restaurant establishment in southern Manhattan.

The prosecution further argued that the defendant had the means to carry out further attacks, such as ammunition and other weapons-related accessories, and that he kept in a warehouse in Philadelphia.

Also that the defendant rented a U-Haul truck in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which he drove over the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and into Brooklyn in the early hours of the morning of April 12, when he carried out the attack.

“The defendant arrived in Brooklyn prepared with all the weapons and tools needed to carry out the mass attack,” which included a Glock 17 pistol, a gas container, a torch and fireworks, according to the prosecution.

The 62-year-old defendant, who did not resist his arrest, risks a life sentence for carrying out a terrorist-type armed attack on public transportation, according to the federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, Breon Peace.

(With information from EFE)

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