By:Jeff Lipton
Police officer Patrick Cooke, of the Fourth Precinct, was on his way to another assignment at about 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 24, when he spotted a suspicious-looking van parked off to the side of the northbound lanes of Route 878 in Lawrence, police said.
The van was parked a significant distance from the roadway, next to some high reeds, 200 to 300 yards north of the Seagirt Boulevard exit on the north side of the bridge, authorities said. When Cooke investigated, he saw the man, identified as Hippocrates Koutsoupakis, 56, of 29th Street in Astoria, Queens, standing next to the van in the reeds.
"The police officer just did a great job to spot this guy, who was standing at the passenger side of the van, by the sliding door," said Detective Sgt. John King of the Fourth Squad.
The sergeant said the suspect was dressed in black fatigues, and was wearing a webbed belt. "He also appeared to be all wet," said King, adding that when the officer spotted him, the suspect apparently had just emerged from the water near the bridge.
Lt. Kevin Smith, a Nassau County police spokesman, said the suspect was wearing military-style garb, along with a belt equipped with tools and a butane torch. "This raises the officer's level of suspicion through the roof," said Smith.
Officer Cooke radioed for assistance, and the suspect agreed to go to the station house for further questioning, officials said. Police said they also received Koutsoupakis's permission to search his van, where they found a stun gun and "some other materials that, when combined, could form an explosive compound," said King. The suspect's van also contained military bags and a map of the area, police said.
"He didn't have an explosive with him," Smith said. "But he had the ingredients to put one together."
Investigators are still trying to figure out what may have been his intentions, including whether he wanted to do damage to the bridge. Smith said that what Koutsoupakis was doing with the materials is still a mystery. "I don't know if we'll ever know why he had the things he had," Smith said.
A raid of the suspect's 29th Street home, near 30th Avenue, undertaken with his permission, police say, uncovered two "improvised" grenades, a handgun and two blasting caps, police said. All of the evidence was taken to the New York Police Department's firing range at Rodman's Neck for testing, officials said.
Nassau County police charged Koutsoupakis with first- and third-degree criminal possession of a dangerous weapon, police said. He may also be charged for possessing a stun gun, pending a grand jury investigation. He was being held without bail in the Nassau County Correctional Facility after pleading not guilty to the charges at his arraignment on Sunday in First District Court in Hempstead.
Koutsoupakis also faces charges in Queens, officials said.
Those who know the suspect reportedly described him as an emotionally disturbed Vietnam War veteran whose condition has grown worse since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the war in Iraq. Neighbors said he was strange but did not appear dangerous, according to published reports.
Police said Koutsoupakis has no prior arrest record in the county, and he is not believed to be connected to any known terrorist operatives. Police said he claims to be an electronics assistant and had worked in the Home Depot on Northern Boulevard in Flushing, Queens.
"I heard he's an electronics guy and likes to repair electronic equipment," said King. "I also heard that he was an Air Force veteran from 1968. Obviously, he's got some emotional problems and psychological problems."
As a precautionary measure, the bridge was closed and a search of the bridge and the surrounding area was conducted during the police investigation. The bridge was re-opened at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday. The investigation is continuing, police said.
The suspect's family declined to comment.
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