Heroism attributed to suspect Luigi Mangione alarming

The social media rhetoric following the killing of health care CEO Brian Thompson in New York earlier this month has been “very alarming”, US Defense Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says.

“It speaks to what’s going on in this country, and unfortunately we’re seeing violent incidents, domestic violence that exists,” he told CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday.

Others on social media celebrated Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting Thompson, and angered American insurers.

Mayorkas said he was “horrified by the alleged heroism that killed a father of two on the streets of New York”.

Thompson, the 50-year-old chief executive of the largest US health insurance company UnitedHealthcare, was shot outside a Manhattan hotel early on December 4, sparking a massive manhunt for the killer.

Mangione, 26, was arrested a few days later in Pennsylvania and flown to New York where he faces federal and state charges, including first degree murder.

Investigators are charging him with attempted murder, pointing to evidence that points to a long-standing grudge against the US medical industry. On social media, Mr. Mangione’s support is often accompanied by complaints and complaints to the Department of Health Insurance.

“We have been concerned about what has been said for a long time,” Mayorkas said on Sunday. “We’ve seen hate speech. We’ve seen anti-government speech. We’ve seen personal grievances in violent language.”

Mayorkas, whose Department of Homeland Security is responsible for protecting Americans from domestic terrorism, said his department is seeing “a lot of stories” that “lead some people to violence.”

“It’s something that worries us a lot,” he said. “This is a very dangerous place.”

But the 65-year-old, whose term as head of the department ends next month, stressed that Thompson’s killing was “a human act.” [and] do not represent the American people”.

Mr. Mangione remains in jail in New York as his lawyers said last week that he would not file a bail request. He is in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn, the same facility where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is being held.

He should be given a roommate and be visited daily by medical and psychiatric services, law enforcement agencies told the BBC’s US partner CBS.

Although New York does not have the death penalty, he faces four federal charges, including murder and kidnapping, that could lead to him being sentenced. He also faces several federal charges.

He is expected to be arraigned in New York on Monday. Mr. Mangione faces 11 counts, including first-degree murder and felony murder.