NYC Subway Shooter Admits He Only Wanted to Hurt People In Terror Attack

The New York City gunman who opened fire on a busy subway train last year has pleaded guilty to federal terrorism charges.

Frank James admitted that on the morning of April 12th, 2022, he set off two smoke grenades and began randomly firing at passengers on the Manhattan-bound train. According to prosecutors, he’d been planning the attack since 2017. The 63-year-old, who referred to himself as the “Prophet of Doom” online, told a court on Tuesday that he only meant to hurt the passengers he was shooting, not kill them. Bullets wounded ten people, and 29 were hospitalized in total.

James pleaded guilty to ten counts of committing a terrorist attack against a mass transit system and a single count of discharging a firearm during a violent crime. This move comes as a bit of a surprise, considering he does not have any plea deals in place. He previously vowed to fight the charges.

“Although it was not my intention to cause death, I was fully aware that a death or deaths could occur as a result of my discharging a firearm in such an enclosed space as a subway car,” he said during the hearing.

The shooter said he was partially motivated by the mistreatment of African-American people, which he documented online. James also did not shy away from his struggles with mental illness in various social media posts. Despite his reasoning and plea, U.S. District Attorney Breon Peace is still seeking at least 31 to 37 years but only if James proves remorseful.

The sentencing has been scheduled for a later date.