What we know about the armed robbery that left 23 injured in the metro

Chaos and dread, twenty-one years after the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center. This Tuesday morning, 23 people were injured – including ten by bullets – after an armed robbery on a subway train in Brooklyn (New York), in the United States. For the moment the terrorist track is not privileged. 20 Minutes provides an update on the attack as a manhunt begins to find the 62-year-old suspect.

What happened on the New York subway?

At 8:24 a.m. local time, when the New York subway trains are crowded, an individual, who was wearing a gas mask, “opened two canisters which let smoke escape into the train”. “He then shot a number of passengers when the train entered the 36th Street station” south of Brooklyn, said New York Police Chief Keechant Sewell.

Among the victims, none of whom are in mortal danger, according to Keechant Sewell, ten were hit by bullets and 13 others were in the scramble to get out of the metro. Some also suffered from smoke inhalation. The balance sheet therefore stands at 23 victims, this Wednesday morning.

Who is the suspect?

The suspect was described by police as “a black male” about 1.65m tall, “heavy build”, and wearing a “green and orange construction vest” and a gray hoodie. The individual, a 62-year-old man, is said to have addresses “in Philadelphia and Wisconsin”. According to several American media, this man would be called Frank James and would have published various videos on YouTube in which he delivers long political tirades, sometimes virulent. He also criticizes the mayor of New York, Eric Adams.

Where is the investigation?

In the subway, the investigators found a handgun and three magazines, as well as a vehicle key which allowed them to go back to a van from the American rental company U-Haul, recently rented and abandoned in Brooklyn. The investigation has already confirmed that the suspect would have rented this vehicle in Philadelphia, where he has connections.

At this stage of the investigation, however, there was no indication that this attack could be qualified as a terrorist act. “We were really lucky that it wasn’t much more serious,” said the New York Police Chief (NYPD). “We will not let go until we find the perpetrator of the crime,” assured President Joe Biden, a few hours after the shooting. The suspect is this Wednesday morning still at large and actively sought by the New York police.