A West Virginia man was arrested and charged in federal court Wednesday for allegedly threatening to blow up the Statue of Liberty earlier this year.
Jason Paul Smith, 42, was apprehended in Lubbock, Texas, after which he was charged in federal court on a count of conveying false and misleading information and hoaxes, according to U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. His alleged crimes carry a maximum penalty of five years behind bars.
CNN reported:
On April 24, Smith allegedly made a 911 call from his iPad using a service that helps hearing-impaired people make and receive telephone calls, according to federal prosecutors.
In the call, Smith identified himself as "Abdul Yasin," described himself as an "ISI terrorist" and conveyed a threat to "blow up" the Statue of Liberty, Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement.
In response, authorities evacuated about 3,200 people from the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island on which it rests in New York Harbor until the bomb threat was dismissed the following day.
Members of the New York Police Department bomb squad zeroed in on a locker believed to hold a suspicious package, later discovering it to be empty.
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that other 911 calls were traced to the iPad registered to Smith, two of which were made in May by an individual threatening to attack Times Square and execute policemen at the Brooklyn Bridge. That caller identified himself as "Isis allah Bomb maker."