Man admits NFL stadium threat was hoax
Milwaukee resident said 7 NFL stadiums would be hit with dirty bombs
Updated: 1 hour, 22 minutes ago
MILWAUKEE - Internet threats of “dirty bomb” attacks at NFL stadiums this weekend were a hoax, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security said Thursday.
The FBI made the announcement after agents questioned a 20-year-old Milwaukee man in an effort to determine who made the threats, which were posted on a Web site last week.
“This is a hoax,” said Special Agent Richard Kolko, a spokesman at the FBI’s Washington headquarters. A joint statement from the FBI and Homeland Security said fans “should be reassured of their security as they continue to attend sporting events this weekend.”
A law enforcement official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is still under investigation, said the determination was made based on a computer search and questioning of the Milwaukee man, whose comments led them to determine that he was involved.
No decision has been made yet on whether charges will be filed, the official said.
Milwaukee police contacted the FBI about the man Wednesday night.
“From the information we have, we believe he was involved to some extent, but we don’t know at what level,” said FBI agent Douglas E. Porrini. He added: “That person was released, but we’re not saying that he won’t be charged.”
The threat, dated Oct. 12, appeared on a Web site, The Friend Society, that links to various online forums and off-color cartoons. Its author, identified in the message as “javness,” said trucks would deliver radiological bombs Sunday to stadiums in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Cleveland and Oakland, Calif., and that Osama bin Laden would claim responsibility.
“The information posted on this Web site we viewed with strong skepticism and there was no credible intelligence to suggest there was a threat,” said Russ Knocke, a spokesman at the Department of Homeland Security.
The agency alerted authorities Wednesday in the cities mentioned, as well as the NFL and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. But the FBI and Homeland Security said there was no intelligence indicating such an attack might be imminent. Slide show: The Week in Sports Pictures
“I don’t think it was put out there to be real,” said FBI agent Linda Krieg in Milwaukee. “Whoever put it out there is not in a position to actually carry through on it.”
The man questioned did not appear to have any ties to terrorist groups, according to an FBI official in Washington who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was still going on.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said stadiums are well protected through “comprehensive security procedures” that include bag searches and pat-downs.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15320622/from/RS.4/
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someone is going to get their ass busted for this.
Update on NFL Stadium scare: man admits it was a hoax!
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