A federal judge ordered that the man charged with shooting ten people and injuring more in a Brooklyn subway station will be held without bail, USA Today reports. Frank James, 62, was charged with a terrorist or other violent attack against a mass transportation system after evading capture for more than a day. He was arrested after calling himself in to the New York police "crime stoppers" reporting line. James said he was at a McDonald's in Manhattan. Officers found him walking nearby. U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne Mann agreed with prosecutors, who argued that James should not be eligible for bail because he "presents a severe and ongoing danger to the community and a serious risk of flight." Public defenders asked Mann to agree a psychiatric evaluation for James. She agreed, but subject to the concerns of the prosecutor Sara Winik, made clear that the evaluation would not be one to determine whether James is competent to stand trial.
James appears to be disturbed, as evidenced by an extensive criminal record as well as the attack itself. James has at least nine prior arrests in New York and at least three in New Jersey, including a charge of terroristic threats in Essex County, N.J., in 1995. In that case, he was convicted of the lesser charge of harassment and was put on probation for a year. Police and journalists are also viewing James' Youtube account to learn more about his history. Several videos criticize New York City Mayor Eric Adams, taking aim at his management of the homelessness problem and his efforts to curb crime on the subway system. In others, James says he wants to shoot up a subway train and cites other mass shootings. Still, no strong motive beyond a desire for violence is evident. Strangely, James, who is Black, seems to have posted videos that were racist screeds against people of color and Jewish people. James' victims, aged 16 to 60, are all expected to survive.