(WWJ) A Monroe, Michigan, man who was late for his flight has been arrested for calling in a bomb threat that caused the evacuation of a Spirit Airlines jet at Detroit Metro Airport on Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney's Office has charged John Charles Robinson, 23, with reporting a fake bomb threat. Federal agents say Robinson missed his flight and was told at the gate that he needed to rebook. But instead he allegedly called in to Spirit Airlines and said he had information that someone was going to try to blow up the airport and blow up flight 2145.
According to the affidavit, after giving a description of an individual, he said: “they’re going to be carrying a bomb through the TSA,” and “they’re still threatening to do it, they’re still attempted to do it, they said it’s not going to be able to be detected. Please don’t let that flight board.”
The plane was moved to a remote runway and passengers were taken off and bused back to the Evans Terminal. Bomb sniffing dogs and FBI agents checked out the airplane, but no bomb or explosives were found.
The FBI arrested Robinson when he returned to the airport to depart on another flight bound for Los Angeles.
“No American wants to hear the words ‘bomb’ and ‘airplane’ in the same sentence, United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. said in a statement. "Making this kind of threat undermines our collective sense of security and wastes valuable law enforcement resources.”
Robinson appeared in federal court in Detroit Friday afternoon and was released on bond. He'll return to court June 27th for a preliminary examination.