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CEO killer Luigi Mangione was greeted by New York City Mayor Eric Adams at an airport in New York City on Thursday. Adams is seen in the center of the photo wearing a dark coat and grey scarf.

Mangione waived extradition during a hearing in Pennsylvania on Thursday morning. The 26-year-old Ivy League graduate is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4.

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Luigi got a haircut and a shave at the Pennsylvania prison before his trip back to New York City.

Luigi is facing federal charges of first-degree murder, murder as an act of terrorism, stalking, and weapons charges.

Mayor Adams greeted Mangione as he stepped off an NYPD helicopter in Lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon. Adams escorted Luigi to a waiting van for his trip to Rikers Island. They were surrounded by at least two dozen NYPD, FBI agents, and other officials.

The NYPD posted photos on X (Twitter) of Mangione boarding a small plane to Long Island on Thursday and taking a helicopter ride to Manhattan.

Some law enforcement officers have secretly expressed empathy for Luigi in private chats online.

Video of Mangione being greeted by Mayor Adams received widespread criticism on social media.

X users compared Mangione’s perp walk to the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter and Superman.

Others called Adams’ presence at the airport a “publicity stunt”.

“Luigi Mangione arrives in New York surrounded by a large group of police and the crooked mayor Eric Adams. This is clearly a PR stunt by the state to intimidate those who’ve expressed support for Luigi and quell the rebellion he sparked. It won’t work,” the popular account @ProudSocialist posted on X.

Another X user wrote: “Imagine needing 50 officers for one dude.”

A third person wrote: “That’s a lot of tax dollars for one man.”