*

Suspect Luigi Mangione arrested in Pennsylvania with

'ghost gun'

and silencer

*

Police found fraudulent IDs, document possibly indicating

suspect's motivation

*

Mangione born and raised in Maryland, appears to have

attended

UPenn

(Updates with arraignment taking place, details from charging

document)

By Andrew Hay, Katharine Jackson and Joseph Ax

Dec 9 (Reuters) - Authorities have arrested the man

suspected of killing UnitedHealth ( UNH ) executive Brian

Thompson in a brazen shooting outside a Manhattan hotel last

week, New York City officials said on Monday, ending a massive

five-day manhunt.

The suspect, identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, was captured

in Altoona, Pennsylvania, after he was spotted eating at a

McDonald's by an employee of the fast food restaurant who

believed he resembled the gunman, officials said at a news

conference.

Mangione was led into the Blair County courthouse in Altoona

for his arraignment on Monday night, where gun and forgery

charges were read against him. The judge asked Mangione if he

understood the charges against him, and he said he did. No plea

was entered.

Prosecutors, citing false IDs and a large sum of cash

found on Mangione, argued he was a flight risk and asked that

bail be denied, which it was.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he expected

Mangione to face charges in New York shortly.

Mangione was found with a "ghost gun" - a firearm assembled

from parts, making it untraceable - and a silencer consistent

with the weapon used to shoot Thompson, New York City Police

Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, as well as clothing and a mask

similar to those worn by the killer.

The charging document against Mangione stated that the ghost

gun was produced by a 3D printer.

Mangione, a Maryland native, had multiple fraudulent

identifications, 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," Tisch said. While the

document did not mention specific targets, Mangione harbored

"ill will toward corporate America," Kenny added.

Mangione graduated from a private all-boys school in

Baltimore as valedictorian in 2016 before earning dual

engineering degrees at the University of Pennsylvania, according

to media reports, social media posts and school records. His

last known address was in Honolulu, officials said.

Thompson, 50, 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 exiting the park

and taking a taxi to a bus station in northern Manhattan, where

police believe he used a bus to flee the city.

DENY DEFEND DEPOSE

Police said Thompson appeared to be deliberately targeted.

The words "deny," "defend" and "depose" were carved into

shell casings found at the scene, several 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."

Mangione graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in

2020 with bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering,

according to a commencement program.

A Facebook profile that appears to belong to Mangione

identified him as a native of Towson, Maryland, and a former

student at the University of Pennsylvania. Photos appear to show

Mangione at Stanford University wearing Stanford-branded

clothing.

Neither university immediately responded to requests for

comment.

An X account that appears owned by Mangione says he has an

M.S.E. and B.S.E. in computer science from the University of

Pennsylvania and lives in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Thompson's murder unleashed a wave of frustration from

Americans who have seen their health insurance claims or care

denied, faced unexpected costs or paid more for premiums and

medical care - all trends that are rising, according to recent

data.

Thompson, a father of two, had been CEO of UnitedHealth

Group's ( UNH ) insurance unit since April 2021, part of a

20-year career with the company. He had been in New York to

attend the company's annual investor conference.

"Our hope is that today's apprehension brings some relief to

Brian's family, friends, colleagues and the many others affected

by this unspeakable tragedy," a spokesperson for UnitedHealth ( UNH )

said.