Drunk Carnival Cruise Passenger Makes Fake Bomb Threat, Activates Jerry Bruckheimer

A Jerry Bruckheimer movie was accidentally activated Sunday when an allegedly drunk Carnival Cruise passenger started yelling bomb threats as the boat was approaching Port Canaveral, FL.

The Orlando Sentinel, citing the U.S. Coast Guard, said that passengers heard the man repeatedly stating, “a bomb was about to explode,” and “We are Jihad.”

Reuters quotes a Coast Guard Petty Officer as saying that the man said, “We are jihad. Come to the top deck and watch the bomb. The bomb is going to blow.” He also noted that the man appeared to be “highly intoxicated.”

This odd behavior lead to a 4 hour delay as authorities from Brevard County Florida, U.S. Coast Guard and FBI descended on the Carnival Sensation.

USAToday describes the accidental activation of the Bruckheimer movie:

The “threat” was first reported to ship personnel around 4 a.m., and an exhaustive search for a bomb was conducted by onboard security personnel, according to USCG spokesman Christopher Evanson, Petty Officer First Class.

The 87-foot coast guard cutter Shrike was called in to assist in bringing USCG, FBI and other law enforcement officials to the scene and in establishing a security zone around the vessel, which had 3,740 passengers and crew onboard.

They arrived around 9:30 a.m., and conducted an additional bomb search and also interviewed eyewitnesses and the suspect. The arrest was made.

Back in Port Canaveral, where the Sensation was headed on the last leg of a 3-day Bahamas cruise, dogs were brought in to search Terminal 5, and a Unified Command was established. Represented at the command post were the USCG, FBI, Transportation Safety Administration, Port Canaveral Police Department, Canaveral Fire and Rescue, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Federal Air Marshal’s Service, as well as Carnival Cruise Line.

After it was determined there was no credible bomb threat, the ship was allowed to return to port, arriving at about 10:45 a.m., some five hours later than scheduled. Some passengers had to rebook missed flights home.

Drunk Man Makes Bomb Threat Onboard Carnival Ship [WCBS]
Bomb threat on Carnival ship deemed false [USAToday]

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