Authorities have clarified that the migrants arrested at an Arizona bus stop are not the individuals accused of fleeing New York City after being implicated in the Times Square police attack, according to senior law enforcement officials.
Reports from three senior law enforcement officials conveyed to NBC News establish that the four men detained in Arizona by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) do not correspond to the identities of those involved in the Times Square incident.
Arizona Migrants Unrelated to Times Square Incident
The information surfaces after federal authorities previously identified the arrested individuals as potential suspects who had purportedly absconded the city following the abhorrent attack.
These four individuals were intercepted while en route to the Phoenix Greyhound Bus Station from El Paso, Texas, as revealed by ICE spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe.
O'Keefe indicated that the suspects were suspected to have been implicated in a high-profile attack targeting police officers in New York City. She remarked to KTAR News 92.3 FM, "The subjects were believed to be fleeing the state of New York from their suspected involvement in a coordinated assault on multiple New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officers."
Officials transferred the four migrants to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations to undergo processing for immigration violations. The purported attack, in which they were allegedly involved, unfolded outside a Manhattan homeless shelter on January 27. Surveillance footage from the site depicted a group of migrants engaging in altercations with police officers in Times Square.
While seven individuals were initially arrested in connection with the incident, charges against one individual were dropped by prosecutors, as reported by the Associated Press. Authorities then released five of the remaining six suspects, a move that invited criticism directed at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
On the other hand, the office of the district attorney said that their present priority is on 10 to 11 people, but that number might grow. On March 5, all five of the migrants who were freed without bond are expected back in court. But there's still no word on when their court hearing will be rescheduled, according to KTAR News.
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Phoenix Migrants Not Linked to NYPD Attack
Contrary to initial reports, ICE sources, including Fox News, revealed that a group of migrants were apprehended at a Greyhound bus station in Phoenix regarding the NYPD attack. Nevertheless, the DA's office retracted these assertions on Wednesday.
Manhattan DA Communications Director Danielle Filson stated, "To date, we have not received any indication from federal authorities that they have detained anyone related to our case."
As of Wednesday, seven suspects have been arrested, with the possibility of up to 14 individuals being involved in the attack. The captured surveillance footage from January 27 outside a Times Square homeless shelter depicted several men assaulting officers on a sidewalk, while attempting to intervene in the arrest of a man.
Although no serious injuries were reported, the imagery of officers being assaulted incited widespread public condemnation.
Mayor Adams, in recent public appearances, emphasized the majority of migrants arriving in the city are law-abiding. He cautioned against branding those striving for the American Dream as criminals.
However, in light of the Times Square incident, Adams expressed a willingness to reconsider laws impeding city-federal immigration enforcement collaboration. Noting the incident as an assault on the city's safety, Adams urged the City Council to contemplate enhanced collaboration with federal immigration authorities.
The city's sanctuary policies, enforced since 2014, restrict the police department and city jails from detaining individuals on behalf of ICE, except under specific circumstances. Such policies have raised questions regarding their influence on cases like the Times Square altercation, Fox 5 reported.
