Luigi Mangione: Pennsylvania police arrest suspect in murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione, the man who allegedly assassinated UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been charged with murder.

Mr Mangione, 26, was taken into custody at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 450km west of New York City on Monday after a customer at the fast-food outlet recognised him.

He was found in possession of a 3D-printed gun and a handwritten document that indicated “motivation and mindset”, according to police.

According to the BBC, Mr Mangione appeared in a Pennsylvania court to be arraigned on five initial counts and was denied bail.

How was Luigi Mangione caught?

Police say a McDonald’s employee called 911 with a tip-off after spotting a person who looked like the man in the images released by the NYPD.

Investigators in central Pennsylvania raced to the Altoona fast food restaurant where they arrested Mr Mangione and took him in for questioning.

When asked if he had been in New York, Mr Mangione reportedly had “a physical reaction”.

“He became visibly nervous, kind of shaking at that question. And he didn’t really answer it directly,” Altoona Deputy Chief of Police Derek Swope said.

On arrest, he was allegedly found in possession of a three-page document, handwritten, outlining his “ill will towards corporate America,” according to police.

Altoona Police stated he also had a “ghost” gun, silencer and false identification cards similar to those used in New York.

A “ghost” gun is a privately made firearm, often created using a 3D printer.

Mr Mangione was later charged with firearm-related offences but has not yet been charged with murder.

“At this time, the Altoona Police Department is cooperating with local, state, and federal agencies,” a spokesperson told media.

Police allege Mr Mangione was in Pennsylvania for “several days” while police searched for the suspect in relation to the New York shooting.

Reports of online posts made by Luigi Mangione

Online, interest in Mr Mangione is high.

Multiple social media accounts have been created since he was named by police, with online users imitating Mr Mangione.

CNN have cited an online review of 1995 anti-technology manifesto written by the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.

Although it is not clear if the review is indeed from Mr Mangione, the outlet reports it appears the profile belongs to him.

“It’s easy to quickly and thoughtless[ly] write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies,” the review reads.

“But it’s simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out,” the review from January 2024 reads.

“He was a violent individual - rightfully imprisoned - who maimed innocent people. While these actions tend to be characterized as those of a crazy luddite, however, they are more accurately seen as those of an extreme political revolutionary.”

A YouTube video quickly went viral from an account alleging to be Mr Mangione. The post showed a countdown clock with a message suggesting if people were watching the video, Mr Mangione had already been arrested.

The video has been taken down due to the belief it was not made by Mr Mangione.

Who is Luigi Mangione?

As his name was released, connections from Mr Mangione’s past started providing information about his character and his past.

The popular US website, TrueCar, used as a digital platform to sell new and used cars, confirmed Mr Mangione is a former employee.

He studied computer science at the University of Pennsylvania, an elite Ivy League school in the US, attending Gilman School in Baltimore, Marylands before that.

Headmaster Henry Smith issued an email to past students stating: ““We recently became aware that the person arrested in connection with the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO is a Gilman alumnus.”

“We do not have any information other than what is being reported in the news.

“This is deeply distressing news on top of an already awful situation. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.”

Luigi Mangione arrested over gun charges after Brian Thompson’s murder

Mr Thompson, 50, was gunned down outside a Manhattan hotel early on Wednesday morning by a masked man who appeared to wait for his arrival before shooting the executive from behind.

The suspect ran from the scene and then rode a bike into Central Park.

Surveillance video captured him exiting the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he used a bus to flee the city.

Mr Thompson, a father of two, had been chief executive of UnitedHealthcare Group’s insurance unit since April 2021, part of a 20-year career with the company.

He had been in New York to attend the company’s annual investor conference.

with AAP.