A man has been detained in connection to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
The health company boss was murdered with three gunshots in front of a New York City hotel by a masked assassin last week (December 4), who escaped on foot.
They then rode a bike into Central Park, where CCTV lost track of them, as authorities later found a bag that they suspected belonged to the individual.
Thompson was the head of UnitedHealthcare, the single largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the US, generating $281 billion (£219 billion) in revenue alone, say The Washington Post.
But now, a man named as Luigi Mangione has been held for questioning in relation to the crime following a tip from someone who spotted him, say three law enforcement officials.
Mangione was found and detained in a McDonald’s at around 9.15am local time this morning (9 December), Sky News reports.
A handwritten manifesto was found on his person as he was detained in Altoona, Pennsylvania, as well as a gun reportedly similar to the one used in the attack, and false identification cards, a senior law enforcement official said to the New York Times.
In the manifesto that was found on his person, it criticised health care companies for putting profits above the care of customers, the official further detailed.
The full content of the alleged manifesto has not yet been released, and Mangione has not yet been arrested or charged in connection with the shooting.
Investigators said that he had a ‘ghost gun’, meaning it was assembled with parts sold online, matching the gun used in the shooting of Thompson, the senior law enforcement official further said.
Originally detained and questioned in Altoona on local charges, in order for him to be charged in New York, he would have to be extradited, officials confirmed.
Following strange messages on the bullet casing used to murder the health CEO, an image of the person was released to the public to help find him.
A backpack was uncovered in Central Park, after a burner phone and water bottle were found at the crime scene.
In the backpack were some peculiar items, not containing a weapon but instead a jacket and some Monopoly money, for some reason.
Police sources couldn’t confirm if the jacket was the same one that was found in surveillance images, as the backpack has been sent to a forensic laboratory for examination after discovery.
The evidence was discovered on the authorities’ second sweep of the park, with the bag found between boulders next to the park’s carousel over the weekend.
