Luigi Mangione ‘had all that one wants but...’: New York mayor raises concern of radicalisation

New York mayor Eric Adams stressed that despite having everything one could want, Luigi Mangione harboured enough hatred to commit a murder. The mayor also flagged the growing trend of anti-American sentiment, particularly among young people.

Mangione has been formally indicted in New York on first-degree murder charges for the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Addressing a press conference, Adams said, “This person had all that one wants to have, but he hated everything to the point of shooting someone. And we better deal with the radicalization of our young people.”

Linking Mangione's alleged actions to a broader issue of radicalization, the mayor, a former police officer said young people are being influenced to hate their country.

Referring to Mangione’s privileged upbringing in Maryland in a wealthy family and manifesto as indicators of this trend, Adams said, “Think about the shooter: Ivy League, grew up in an affluent household. His manifesto clearly is showing some signs of hating.”

"Our children are being radicalized. I said this over and over again, and everybody’s like, ‘What are you talking about, Eric?’ Our children are being radicalized to hate America, to hate the country that put them where they are," he was quoted as saying by Forbes.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson murder case

Luigi Mangione, 26, fled Manhattan after the 4 December shooting, authorities said, touching off a five-day manhunt that ended with his arrest in western Pennsylvania. He waited outside the New York hotel for an hour with a 9mm 3D-printed ghost gun, according to prosecutors.

Mangione was indicted on one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, seven counts of criminal possession of a weapon, and one count of possessing a forged driver’s license.

The murder uncovered a deep anger among Americans who say the health insurance industry has too often failed to cover large medical bills and stood in the way of necessary care.

A survey of Mangione’s online presence shows that the suspect—who attended the University of Pennsylvania—praised the manifesto of another Ivy League graduate known for violent acts aimed at corporate targets, the Unabomber, on the book-review website Goodreads, calling his insights “prescient.”

Mangione appears to have had a privileged upbringing in Maryland, the product of a wealthy family with various business interests.

(With Bloomberg inputs)