False bomb reports stopped a flight from Bermuda to London last month By Ashley Hens
Counter-terrorism police and FBI are investigating a campaign of hoax bomb reports and death threats aimed at officials in the British Caribbean.
An anonymous group has claimed responsibility for a series of hoax bomb reports that grounded a flight from Bermuda last month islands to London, and threatened to “start killing government officials” if their demands were not met, The Telegraph reported.
The threats stem from the detention of five American tourists on firearms charges on the British-owned Turks and Caicos Islands, sparking a minor diplomatic incident between the islands and Washington last month.
The Americans were caught by airport security with ammunition in his luggage and faces up to 12 years in prison under strict laws designed to reduce gun crime.
One of the Americans, Brian Hagerich, has since been given a suspended sentence and allowed to return home to Pennsylvania after diplomatic pressure from the US State Department and several members of Congress.
Five Americans claim the ammunition was accidentally left behind. their luggage and that they did not intend to use them while in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
«Phase Two» of the Terrorist Threat
The arrests sparked a terrorist campaign. , which began in early May. The FBI told The Telegraph that incidents were «ongoing» after the group threatened to launch a «second phase» of terror attacks this month.
On May 5, at L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda by A bomb threat was sent via email, claiming that explosives had been planted in the terminal and on board a British Airways flight to Heathrow.
The plane was evacuated on the runway while officials rushed to secure the area. A recording of the pilot's conversation with air traffic control, confirming that passengers were at risk, was published online.
Bomb threats have also been made at airports in several other UK overseas territories, including the British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands. Cayman Islands and Anguilla.
Brian Hagerich (left) and Ryan Watson face charges in Turks and Caicos Photo: NEWSNATIONNOW
The next day, the hoaxers sent an email to authorities warning that the threats would continue unless the Americans were released.
«This is your final warning, we will bomb the whole fucking Caribbean, not just the British Overseas Territories, we will bomb schools, airports, factories, ports, hotels, government buildings and much more,» it said in an email.
«What happened yesterday is just a small part of what is to come. If this does not work, we will start assassinating government officials, not fake threats, real assassinations.»
The message, sent from a Russian email address, names Turks and Caicos Police Chief Edwin Martin and Attorney General Rondalee Braithwaite-Knowles as targets.
It says the detained tourists «did not harm anyone» and that their arrest «destroyed families in the U.S.»
«A malicious hoax»
The campaign to free Americans was supported by Senators John Fetterman and Markwayne Mullin. and the National Rifle Association.
The Bermuda government said it was working with U.S. and British authorities to track down the source of the bomb hoaxes, but did not tell residents about the death threats or whether the incidents involved Americans arrested
Officials in London believe the terror campaign is a «malicious hoax» and are working with the FBI to trace the source.
British officials are also working with the governments of several overseas territories to strengthen airport emergency protocols due to threats and train local law enforcement officials to deal with them.
An FBI spokesperson said: “The FBI is aware of ongoing incidents. and maintains contacts with our foreign partners.»
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the investigation, citing security concerns.
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