Records from Lyft helped investigators retrace Frank James' movements in Philly ahead of the shooting
Frank James traveled by lift between a storage unit and apartment in Philly 21 times before the attack
Law enforcement found ammo and gun paraphernalia at both locations.
James is scheduled to appear in federal court on Thursday.
The man who was arrested on a charge that he opened fire on a New York subway train collected ammunition, targets, and other firearms equipment at a recently rented Philiadelphia apartment and storage unit, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.
Records provided to law enforcement by the ride-share company Lyft showed that Frank James traveled between the apartment and storage locker 21 times between Mach 28 and April 1o, according to the affidavit.
James is charged with one count of terrorism or other violent acts on public transit. The investigation into his motive remains ongoing.
Ten people were shot and over two dozen injured during the rush-hour attack, when the suspect put on a gas mask, opened a canister that filled the train with smoke, and then opened fire inside the a Manhattan-bound N-train and on the platform.
In the hours after the shooting, hundreds of law enforcement officers flooded the scene, and detectives pulled footage from CCTV cameras around the city.
The jacket, which was behind at the station included a receipt for a storage unit in Philiadelphia. Investigators searched the unit, as well as an apartment that James had rented in that city beginning on March 28, according to the affidavit.
In the storage unit, law enforcement found ammunition for a 9mm gun, a threaded 9mm pistol barrel that allows for a silencer to be attached, targets, and .223 caliber ammunition for an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, according to court documents.
At the apartment, investigators found an empty magazine for a Glock handgun, a taser, a high-capacity rifle magazine, and a blue smoke canister.
In a press conference following James' arrest Wednesday afternoon, officials said that he had bought the handgun used in the attack in Ohio in 2011.
Despite having a criminal record in New York and New Jersey, James was able to buy the gun because he had no felony convictions, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said Wednesday.
Other records obtained by law enforcement showed that James rented a U-Haul in Philiadelphia on April 6. That van crossed the Verrazzano Bridge into Brooklyn just after 4 a.m. on the morning of the shooting.
In videos posted to Youtube prior to the attack, James made various statements about the NY subway system, and criticized Mayor Eric Adams over the presence of homeless people on board.
"Every car I went to wa[s] loaded with homeless people. It was so bad, I couldn't even stand," James said in one video, which was also reviewed by Insider.
After rambling on about the situation and conspiracy theories, James said: "And so the message to me is: I should have gotten a gun, and just started shooting motherf---ers.," FBI Special Agent Jorge Alvarez wrote in the affidavit.
Youtube has since removed James' account.
He is scheduled to appear in federal court in Brooklyn on Thursday.
Read the original article on Insider
