2023-09-29 09:10:14
Their messages forced flights to be delayed, schools and religious temples to be evacuated, and even a hospital to close. It was all a lie. United States authorities filed charges against a Peruvian for making more than 150 false bomb threats to schools, synagogues and other public buildings in the United States.
His actions were an attempt at retaliation against some teenagers who They refused to send him explicit photographsaccording to research.
The man was identified as Eddie Manuel Nunez Santoswho already was arrested in Limathe Peruvian capital, according to a statement from the US Department of Justice.
Núñez Santos, 33, could face several decades in prison for sending the threats earlier this month. His actions caused evacuations and chaos in the institutions where they were made.
The Peruvian, who is a website developer, He posed as a teenager named “Lucas” and communicated with teenagers on an online video game platform.
Prosecutors say He asked for explicit photographs from at least two of them, including a minor under 15 years of age. She also threatened to send bombs to their schools when they refused.
On September 15, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began receiving reports of threats sent by email to several public buildings in the states of Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.
The messages were also sent to at least three synagogues in the New York area during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year holiday.
One of these messages cited by authorities as an example said: “I placed multiple bombs in all the schools in your districts. The bombs will explode in a few hours. I will gladly smile when their families cry for their deaths.”.
Two days later, Pennsylvania schools They also began to receive threats. One of the messages caused the evacuation of more than 1,100 students in 20 different schools.
The threats also included airports, hospitals and a shopping center.
Police had to intervene in false bomb threat cases in five US states. GETTY IMAGES
As a result of the emails, prosecutors say, police were deployed, schools were evacuated or closed, flights were delayed and a hospital had to be closed.
The researchers They were able to trace the origin of the messages, phone numbers and IP addresses linked to the bomb threats against Núñez Santosprosecutors say.
“The defendant’s relentless campaign of false bomb threats prompted an immediate mobilization by federal and state authorities, diverted critical law enforcement and public safety resources, and caused fear in hundreds of communities across the country,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.
“The defendant allegedly engaged in this reprehensible and socially destructive conduct in a twisted attempt to retaliate against teenage girls who rejected his requests for nude and sexually explicit photographs.”
This Thursday, authorities announced that They will file five charges against Núñez Santos, including making threatening interstate communications and perpetrating a hoax. Each carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The man was also charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, attempted coercion and seduction of a minor, and attempted receipt of child pornography.
Those charges, which he could face up to 30 years in prison If convicted, they stem from alleged attempts to persuade a 15-year-old girl in Westchester, New York.
The court documents did not mention a lawyer for Núñez Santos, so his defense could not be contacted to find out his position.
Conocé The Trust Project
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