New York, United States:

US authorities on Tuesday charged the man suspected of gunning down a health insurance CEO in New York earlier this month with murder, including a charge of second-degree murder “as an act of terrorism.”

Mangione, 26, is accused of shooting UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street on December 4, triggering a nationwide manhunt that ended last week when he was spotted at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s.

The former data engineer remains jailed in that state as he fights efforts to extradite him to New York to face charges there over the killing, which brought into focus widespread public anger against the US health care system.

Mangione “is charged with one count of murder in the first degree and two counts of murder in the second degree, including one count of murder in the second degree as an act of terrorism,” said Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg.

Bragg said the terrorism charge was included because the shooting met the prerequisites for such a determination under New York law.

“In its most basic terms, this was a killing that was intended to evoke terror and we’ve seen that reaction,” he said. “This was not an ordinary killing.”

The maximum penalty for the murder charges Mangione faces is life in prison without parole, Bragg said.

The suspect was also charged with several crimes related to his possession of a weapon, which authorities said was a 3D-printed “ghost gun.”

“We allege he… took out a nine-millimeter 3D-printed ghost gun equipped with a 3D-printed suppressor and shot (Thompson) once in the back and once in the leg,” said Bragg.

“These weapons are increasingly proliferating throughout New York City and the entire country. Evolving technology will only make this problem worse,” he said.

“Last year, over 80 ghost guns and ghost gun parts were recovered in Manhattan alone.”

‘Shocking and appalling’

In the wake of Thompson’s killing, many social media users have lionized Mangione, with some even calling for further killings of other CEOs.

Jessica Tisch, the New York City police commissioner, criticized members of the public who had praised the murder.

“In the nearly two weeks since Mr Thompson’s killing, we have seen a shocking and appalling celebration of cold-blooded murder,” said Tisch.

Mangione is due in Pennsylvania court on Thursday for a hearing on his extradition to New York.

Police say a “life-changing, life-altering” back injury may have motivated Mangione, although they added that there was “no indication” that he was ever a client of UnitedHealthcare.

When he was arrested, Mangione had a three-page handwritten text criticizing the US health care system.

Police have said that Mangione’s fingerprints matched those found near the crime scene, and that shell casings match the gun found on him when he was arrested.

Bragg said that the suspect traveled to New York on November 24 with the intention of murdering Thompson.

On December 4, he is alleged to have waited “for nearly an hour” outside the hotel where Thompson was shot early that morning.

“This was a frightening, well planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation,” said district attorney Bragg.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly threatening a healthcare company, using chilling words eerily similar to those linked to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Briana Boston, who was upset after having a medical claim denied, spoke on a recorded line with a Blue Cross Blue Shield representative, saying, “delay, deny, depose, you people are next.”

These words were reportedly identical to those found on ammunition recovered from the scene of Thompson’s murder.

Now, the woman has been arrested for making threats to carry out an act of terrorism or a mass massacre. Her bond was set by a court at $100,000, reported the BBC.

The language she used was drawn from the book ‘Delay, Deny, Defend’, which critiques the tactics insurance companies use to avoid paying claims. In light of Thompson’s recent murder, the representative interpreted her words as a direct threat, and made a call to the FBI.

Detectives from Lakeland, Florida, took Ms Boston into custody on Tuesday after the phone conversation with the healthcare organisation. She later apologised to authorities, saying that she “used those words because it’s what is in the news right now” after becoming aware of the phrase due to the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting. The woman added that she did not possess any firearms and “was not a danger to anyone,” but she believes that “healthcare companies played games and deserved karma from the world because they are evil”.

The arrest comes in the wake of Luigi Mangione’s capture for the murder of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO.

The 26-year-old is facing charges related to the shooting. The five-days-long, multi-state manhunt came to an end on Monday when he was arrested in Pennsylvania on gun charges. Since then, the case has generated both support for Mangione and resentment toward the US for-profit health insurance sector as several other clients have faced high costs and claims denials. Law enforcement officials have now issued a warning against potential copycats.