Brooklyn shooting update: Frank James ordered to be held behind bars in first federal court appearance

A former neighbour of suspected shooter Frank James has revealed they once got into a dispute when she accidentally left her key in the door to her home in Wisconsin.

Keilah Miller, 32, told the New York Times that Frank James had moved into the address in Milwaukee less than a year ago and had been a “really weird neighbour” ever since.

She said he was “gruff and standoffish” and would never say hello when they would pass in the street.

“Like if I say, ‘Hello, good morning,’ he just grunts at me like he’s some old grumpy Black man,” said Ms Miller, who is also Black.

She described hearing him yelling on the phone on multiple occasions.

Mr James’ last known address is in Milwaukee but he also has ties to New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Chilling details have emerged of the phone call made by suspected terrorist Frank James to the NYPD’s CrimeStoppers as he tipped officers off to his whereabouts after being on the run for more than a day.

Law enforcement officials said on Wednesday that it was Mr James who made the call that led to his own capture, telling the tipline that he was at a McDonald’s restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village.

“This is Frank. You guys are looking for me… My phone is about to die,” the caller said, reported NBC News.

When officers arrived at the fast food joint, Mr James was gone.

Officers patrolled the area and spotted him close by, taking him into custody without incident at St. Mark’s Place and First Avenue.

Mayor Eric Adams has said that officials are considering installing metal detectors in New York City’s subway system as the transit hub continues to be rocked by a rise in violent crime.

The mayor told ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday that the state-of-the-art technology could be rolled out to try to prevent crimes. “It’s not the traditional metal detectors that you see at airports,” he said.

“Technology has advanced so much. When you think about it, we have not advanced with technology. The cities... when it comes down to protecting the citizens better, I’m open to all technology.”

This comes following a string of violent attacks on the city’s subways systems in recent months, including the death of Michelle Alyssa Go in January when she was shoved in front of a train at Times Square station.

It took almost 30 hours for Frank James to finally be taken into custody and off the streets of the Big Apple.

The 62-year-old suspected terrorist was finally arrested at around 1.42pm at St. Mark’s Place and First Avenue in the East Village of Manhattan on Wednesday - more than 29 hours and five miles away from the scene of Tuesday’s mass shooting.

New York officials have been quick to take credit for his capture with Mayor Eric Adams proudly announcing in Wednesday’s press conference: “My fellow New Yorkers, we got him.”

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell also attributed his capture to “nearly 30 hours of dogged police work” saying that “from the moment Mr James committed this appalling crime, the police began shrinking his world until he had nowhere to turn”.

However, according to everyday New Yorkers and law enforcement officials, Mr James’ capture actually came about thanks to the bravery of civilians and the suspect’s own decision to turn himself in.

Officials admitted in Wednesday’s press conference that the last known whereabouts of Mr James prior to his arrest was at 9.15am on Tuesday morning entering a subway station at Park Slope.

This left a gap of more than 24 hours where his location was unknown.

Mr James then called NYPD’s CrimeStoppers himself on Wednesday to tip officers off, telling them he was at a McDonald’s restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village.

Law enforcement officials told NBC News that the tipline received a call from a man saying: “This is Frank. You guys are looking for me… My phone is about to die.”

The caller told them he was at McDonald’s and would wait there for them or somewhere outside.

When officers arrived at the fast food joint, Mr James was gone but he was spotted nearby and taken into custody without incident.

Several New Yorkers have also revealed they helped officers in the apprehension of the alleged terrorist including 21-year-old Syrian man Zack Tahhan.

Mr Tahhan grabbed the microphone of a local news station on Wednesday and told how he recognised the alleged shooter while he was fixing a camera outside a convenience store in East Village.

He said he followed Mr James and then hailed down a police car to direct officers to the suspect.

Mr Tahhan has been hailed a hero with #Thankyouzack trending on Twitter and calls growing for him to be given the $50,000 reward offered by the NYPD for information leading to Mr James’ arrest.

The serial number on the firearm used in the terrorist attack on a New York City subway had been scratched off, according to a criminal complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday.

“Marks on the serial number on the firearm appear to reflect that an attempt was made to deface the serial number,” the complaint reads.

The 9mm Glock 17 pistol was bought legally by suspect Frank James from a licensed firearms dealer in Ohio back in 2011, according to official records.

Suspected subway shooter Frank James ranted about the New York City subway system in videos posted on his YouTube channel before allegedly carrying out Tuesday’s attack.

Mr James, 62, posted more than 400 videos on his account Prophet of Truth 88 over a years-long period before it was taken down by YouTube on Wednesday for “violating community guidelines”.

In one video, he complained about homeless people on the subways and blamed New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

“What are you doing, brother? What’s happening with this homeless situation?” he says.

“Every car I went to wa[s] loaded with homeless people. It was so bad, I couldn’t even stand.”

In another video, titled The Good Ole Days and posted in July 2020, Mr James filmed a journey on the D train.

The footage, shot pre-pandemic in August 2019 but posted in July 2020, appears to show him sizing up other passengers, as his finger is seen pointing at unsuspecting passengers as he mumbles inaudibly to himself.

Frank James was seen smirking during his perp walk from the NYPD’s 9th Precinct in Manhattan on Wednesday to a vehicle waiting to transport him into federal custody.

Investigators are exploring the possibility that suspected terrorist Frank James carried out a test run one day before Tuesday’s subway attack at Sunset Park, according to a report.

Law enforcement sources told the New York Post that Mr James is believed to have practiced for the terrorist incidentn by hurling smoke bombs at Floyd Bennett Field in the Marine Park neighbourhood of Brooklyn on Monday.

The sources said that a witness reported seeing a U-Haul van behind Hangar 2 at the airfield and smoke rising from the scene at around midday on Monday but brushed it off as children messing around.

When the attack unfolded on Tuesday, and news spread that the gunman had tossed smoke bombs before opening fire, the witness reported what he had witnessed to authorities.

Investigators have since found four spent smoke grenades at the airfield and confirmed that it was Mr James who was using the devices there hours before Tuesday’s attack, according to the sources.

A federal judge ruled that Frank James must be held behind bars until he stands trial as he appeared in court for the first time charged with terrorism.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to deny the 62-year-old bail, saying that he poses a “severe and ongoing danger to the community”.

“The government respectfully submits that the Court should enter a permanent order of detention pending trial because the defendant presents a severe and ongoing danger to the community and a serious risk of flight,” in a court filing on Thursday.

The filing cited the nature and circumstances of the “premeditated attack”, the evidence against Mr James and the 62-year-old’s criminal history as reasons to keep him behind bars.

Suspected terrorist Frank James spoke only to confirm his name during the brief, minutes-long arraignment in Brooklyn federal court.

Cameras are banned from federal courtrooms but The Independent was able to dial in remotely to listen to proceedings.

Mr James answered “yes” when asked to confirm his name and other basic details but otherwise did not speak.