Man Accused of Trying to Free Luigi Mangione

A man falsely claiming to be an FBI agent showed up at a federal jail in New York City on Wednesday night and told officers he had a court order to release Luigi Mangione, authorities said. Mark Anderson, 36, of Mankato, Minnesota, was arrested and charged with impersonating an FBI agent in a foiled bid to free Mangione from the Metropolitan Detention Center, the notorious Brooklyn lockup where he is being held while awaiting state and federal murder trials in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the AP reports.

A criminal complaint filed against Anderson did not identify the person he attempted to free, but a law enforcement source confirmed to the AP it was Mangione. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity. It's not clear whether Anderson has any connection to Mangione.

• According to the criminal complaint, Anderson approached the jail intake area around 6:50pm Wednesday and told uniformed jail officers that he was an FBI agent in possession of paperwork "signed by a judge" authorizing the release of a specific person in custody at the jail.
• When the officers asked for his federal credentials, Anderson showed the officers a Minnesota driver's license, threw numerous documents at them and claimed to have weapons, the criminal complaint said. Officers searched Anderson's bag and found a barbecue fork and a circular steel blade which was said to resemble a small pizza cutter wheel, the complaint said.
• A law enforcement source tells CNN that Anderson had been working at a pizzeria since traveling from Minnesota to New York for a job opportunity that didn't work out.

The attempt to free Mangione happened during a critical stretch in his legal cases. Hours before Anderson's arrest, the Manhattan district attorney's office sent a letter urging the judge in Mangione's state case, Gregory Carro, to set a July 1 trial date. On Friday, Mangione will be in court for a conference in his federal case. The judge in that case, Margaret Garnett, is expected to rule soon whether prosecutors can seek the death penalty and whether they can use certain evidence against him.