Luigi Mangione charged in killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson

Suspect in custody on gun and forgery charges after being found in Pennsylvania

Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. AP

Authorities arrested a man suspected of killing UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson in a shooting outside a Manhattan hotel last week, New York City officials said on Monday, ending a five-day manhunt.

The suspect, identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, was detained in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after he was reported to be eating at a McDonald's restaurant by an employee who believed he resembled the gunman, officials said at a news conference.

Mr Mangione was found with a “ghost gun” – a firearm assembled from parts, making it untraceable – and a silencer. The gun was consistent with the weapon used to shoot Mr Thompson, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. He also had clothing and a mask similar to those worn by the killer. The ghost gun may have been produced by a 3D printer, said Joseph Kenny, the NYPD's chief of detectives.

Mr Mangione was charged with weapons, forgery and other offences in Pennsylvania on Monday. He was arraigned and ordered to be held without bail.

Mr Mangione had fraudulent identification, including a fake New Jersey ID that matched the one used by the gunman to check into a Manhattan hostel days before the shooting, officials said.

Police also found a handwritten document that speaks to “both his motivation and his mindset”, Ms Tisch said. While the document did not mention targets, Mr Mangione harboured “ill will towards corporate America”, Mr Kenny said.

Mr Mangione was born and raised in Maryland, attended college in Pennsylvania, had ties to San Francisco and last lived in Honolulu, officials said.

He was arrested on firearms charges by Altoona police, and New York detectives were on their way to Pennsylvania to question him, Ms Tisch said.

“And at some point we’ll work out through extradition to bring him back to New York to face charges here, working with the Manhattan district attorney’s office,” Mr Kenny said.

Mr Thompson 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 leaving the park and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where police believe he used a bus to flee the city.

Police said Mr Thompson appeared to have been a deliberate target.

The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were carved into shell casings found at the scene, news outlets have reported. The words evoke the title of a book critical of the insurance industry published in 2010 titled Delay, Deny, Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don't Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It.

Mr Thompson's murder unleashed a wave of frustration from Americans whose health insurance claims or care were denied, or who have faced unexpected costs or paid more for premiums and medical care – all trends that are rising, according to recent data.

Mr Thompson, who had two children, had been chief executive of UnitedHealth Group's insurance unit since April 2021, as part of a 20-year career with the company. He had been in New York to attend the company's annual investors' conference.