A person of interest has been arrested in the murder of UnitedHealthcare insurance division CEO Brian Thompson, who was gunned down outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan last Wednesday.
According to local reports, the suspect was busted for alledgedly attempting to use a fake ID at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania. The suspect had a manifesto on his person at the time of the arrest. He was also carrying four fake IDs, a gun, a silencer, and other items that sources said are “consistent” with what authorities were looking for in the case.
The suspect has been identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, of Towson, Md, the New York Post reported. Mangione allegedly liked quotes from the infamous “Unabomber’’ Ted Kaczynski and was a known anti-capitalist radical.
Thompson, who was 50, was killed in what police quickly determined to have been a targeted attack. Shortly before 7 a.m. on Wednesday morning, a gunman described as white and wearing a mask fired multiple shots at Thompson's before fleeing on a bicycle.
Thompson had reportedly received threats, as had other executives at the company.
The police have footage of the murder showing the shooter shooting Thompson in the back before he could react, showing significant proficiency with the firearm. The shooter ambushed Thompson outside his company's investor meeting, fled on a bicycle, and then took a cab to a central bus terminal. The executive’s killing released a tide of online frustration toward the health insurance industry, with some people even voicing their support for the gunman, wrote the New York Times.
The Atlanta police joined the investigation on Friday after it was estimated that the murder suspect traveled to New York from Atlanta, ten days before killing Thompson.
The suspect was filmed on several occasions in the days leading up to the murder, albeit mostly with his face covered with a mask. Investigators obtained footage of him entering a Manhattan hostel, where he removed his mask, providing a clear image of his face.