NYC subway shooter to plead guilty to terrorism charges

The man who allegedly opened fire inside a New York City subway train earlier this year, injuring 10 individuals, intends to plead guilty to terrorism charges, according to court papers filed on Wednesday. 

According to a letter filed to Judge William Kuntz, the accused, Frank James, would like to plead guilty to the 11-count indictment filed last week in Brooklyn.

“If the Court is available, we wish to proceed during the first week of January 2023,” his attorneys wrote in the letter. Judge Kuntz changed the plea hearing to January 3 after receiving the letter. 

On April 12, James opened fire inside a packed commuter subway train in Sunset Park, carrying out one of the worst attacks on the New York subway system in years. 

Prosecutors claim that James traveled from Philadelphia to Brooklyn that morning having planned the attack for days, bringing a bag with a smoke bomb, a gas mask, and a handgun onto the subway train. 

The smoke bomb inside the bag was set off between the 59th Street and 36th Street stations. He then put on the gas mask and opened fire inside the train. Ten people were shot and 23 others were injured during the attack, according to police. 

Police arrested James in the East Village 31 hours after the attack. He was charged in Brooklyn federal court after his arrest. 

James is facing 10 counts of committing a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system—one for every person he wounded. He was also charged with one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. 

Janes, 63, faces a possible life sentence.