A Canadian man allegedly told an airline employee at the Fort-Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport in Florida that there was a bomb in his luggage on Saturday when he disagreed with being charged a baggage fee, officials said.
Listen to your favorite News/Talk station now on Audacy.
Wegal Rosen made the comment that resulted in authorities evacuating three terminals and halting all operations for hours on Saturday, the Broward Sheriff's Office said in public records.
Related
Now because of his comments over the fee, Rosen could face up to 15 years in prison, according to the South Florida Sentinel.
The 74-year-old was arrested and charged with making a false report concerning planting a bomb, explosive, or weapon of mass destruction, police said.
The incident occurred at the Air Canada counter while Rosen was making his way back to Toronto. According to the complaint from the Broward Sheriff's office Rosen "engaged in a heated verbal argument" over "additional charges for baggage and the airline's no cash policy."
Rosen was told that he could walk to terminal 3 from terminal 2 to purchase a Visa credit card for the carry-on fee.
According to the complaint, Rosen went to walk to terminal 3 without his luggage, and when the employee told him he had to take it with him, "Mr. Rosen responded by telling the employee there was a bomb in the bag."
The comment from the Toronto resident resulted in the airport being shut down for nearly four hours.
Many got into their cars and some walked next to the road as officials forced them to evacuate because of Rosen's comments.
One person took to Twitter outside of his car after he had been stuck in traffic for sometime. His video shows that planes continued to land and take off but no one was able to get close to the airport.
Related
The sheriff's office listed Rosen as a permanent resident of Toronto and a part-time resident of Deerfield Beach in Southern Florida.
Rosen was in jail early Tuesday afternoon on a $20,000 bond, according to records from the Broward Sheriff's Office.
He attended a magistrate hearing on Monday, and in addition to having bond set, he was told he could not return to the Fort Lauderdale airport, possess weapons or ammo, according to the Broward Clerk of Courts.
To return to Toronto, Rosen will have to use other airports in Florida.