Luigi Mangione, 26, is being prosecuted for murder, illegal possession of weapons and false documents, according to court documents posted online by the New York State justice system. He was arrested on Monday, December 9, by members of the Altoona police, 500 km west of New York.
Since the murder of Brian Thompson on Wednesday December 4, CCTV images were widely distributed in order to identify the killer. It was ultimately an employee of a McDonald's restaurant in Altoona who recognized him and contacted the local police, said New York police boss Jessica Tisch during a press briefing.
Several American media broadcast images of the young man, with curly black hair, leaving a police vehicle handcuffed to be escorted to a Pennsylvania court. He was kept in detention there pending his transfer to New York justice for his possible indictment for the murder of Brian Thompson.
A native of Maryland, Luigi Mangione obtained a master's degree in engineering sciences from the prestigious private University of Pennsylvania in 2020 after attending a posh high school in Baltimore. His last address was identified as Honolulu, Hawaii. According to the news website, Baltimore Banner, he comes from a wealthy Italian-American family. His grandfather, who died in 2008, was a real estate developer, owner of country clubs and retirement homes.
At the time of his arrest, the police found a kit firearm on him, “which could have been made by a 3D printer”and a silencer, similar to those used by Brian Thompson's killer. Luigi Mangione also carried a fake New Jersey ID “matching the identity used to check into a New York hotel” before the attack, as well as a three-page handwritten document describing his “hostility towards American companies” police said.
The authorities have not further elaborated on the possible motives for the assassination. Several American media reports indicate that the shell casings found at the crime scene were marked “delay” and “deny” – terms referring to rejections of claims for compensation for care by insurance companies. Investigators are also looking at a medical radio photo posted by the suspect on his X account, suspended Monday after his arrest.
Beyond the emotion, the assassination of Brian Thompson also caused a wave of hatred in the United States towards American health insurance programs, accused of enriching themselves at the expense of patients. “This killer is hailed as a hero. Listen to me carefully, he is not a hero”condemned Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro on Monday. “We don't kill people in cold blood for political reasons or to express a point of view”he insisted.
