A Nebraska man has been criminally charged with acts of terrorism after being hired to carry out what appeared to be an active shooting at an Omaha Christian charity, complete with actors covered in fake blood.
John Channels, 27, was detained Tuesday and charged with five counts of making terroristic threats and one count of possessing a weapon in connection with the incident on May 19, the Omaha World-Herald reported.
According to police, Channels showed up at Omaha Catholic Charities firing blanks from a semiautomatic handgun and staging "victims" who appeared to have been wounded or killed, the Associated Press reported.
The incident happened five days after 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket.
Employees of the charity experienced panic as a result of the "shooting" because they were unaware it was fake.
Police said the organization paid Channels $2,500 to conduct the mock shooting as a test to see if its workers were prepared for such an attack -- and that they went along with Channels' requests that staff not be informed in advance, the AP reported.
The charity told police that Channels identified himself as a "Federal Police Officer working at Offutt Air Force Base," according to KETV, which obtained court documents. Channels allegedly told the charity that he had performed active training drills in the past and that law enforcement would be present during the exercise and even "participate and play along."
Police confirmed to multiple outlets that they had no prior knowledge of the incident, saying first responders thought they were arriving to a real threat.
Court documents show the company did send an email to employees stating there would be an "Active Threat Response Training Exercise" on May 19, but it did not provide any additional details, KETV reported.
Workers told the Omaha World-Herald they assumed the training would involve a speaker and a PowerPoint presentation -- not actors simulating a gunman and victims.
In a statement to the AP, Omaha Catholic Charities' Executive Director Denise Bartels said the organization hired Channels "based upon recommendations from respected sources, and he clearly misrepresented himself and his qualifications."
"We deeply regret following his recommendations and selecting him for the training," Bartels said, adding that staff members continue to be offered mental health support.
In a separate case, Channels is accused of sexually assaulting a minor. According to reports, Channels was the victim's Taekwondo instructor for four years. He was arrested on charges a week after the incident at Omaha Catholic Charities.
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