A 23-year-old man missed his Spirit Airlines flight and then allegedly called in a hoax bomb threat, subjecting passengers to a terrifying experience as the FBI called in an elite bomb squad to search the plane and everyone onboard. He now faces the threat of spending 10 years in federal prison.
The alarming incident occurred at Detroit Metro Airport on June 5 when John Charles Robinson from Lynwood, California, missed an early morning Spirit Airlines flight to Los Angeles, an affidavit filed in federal court explains.
Robinson had apparently turned up at the gate for the 7 am departure after the doors had already been shut and was told he would have to wait around for nearly 12 hours before the next departure at 6:30 pm.
Shortly after, Robinson allegedly called Spirit Airlines’ reservation phone line and told the agent that someone was going to try to blow up Spirit flight 2145 – the same flight he had just missed.
“I was calling about flight 2145… because I have information about that flight,” Robinson said in the recorded telephone call. “There’s gonna be someone who’s gonna try to blow up the airport,” Robinson allegedly continued.
“There’s gonna be someone that’s gonna try to blow up that flight, 2145,” Robinson added before adding a fake description of the fictional suspect.
“They’re going to be carrying a bomb through the TSA,” the transcript of the lengthy 16-minute reads. “They’re still threatening to do it; they’re still attempting to do it, they said it’s not going to be able to be detected. Please don’t let that flight board.”
As law enforcement swooped on Flight 2145 before it was allowed to take off, investigators filed an emergency disclosure request to get hold of the cellphone records connected with the call to Spirit.
The cellphone number was quickly discovered to be registered to Robinson, and not long after, investigators discovered that Robinson had been booked on flight 2145.
When Robinson returned to Detroit Metro Airport later the same day to catch the 6:30 pm flight to Los Angeles, law enforcement was waiting in the terminal to take him into custody.
After initially denying any wrongdoing, Robinson allegedly admitted to making statements about a bomb on flight 2145. He then told officers that he hoped the bomb alert would delay the flight and allow him to board so he didn’t have to wait around the airport all day.
Instead, he subjected all the other passengers to a terrifying experience, which saw them deplaned and subjected to additional screening as sniffer dogs were deployed to search the plane for anything suspicious.
Several passengers also had to face a grilling by FBI investigators before the alert was stood down.
Robinson has now been charged with reporting a false bomb threat, which, if found guilty, could land him in federal prison for up to 10 years.
“Anyone who threatens to bomb an aircraft and endanger public safety will be swiftly investigated and brought to justice,” commented Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office, following Robinson’s arrest.
“The alleged bomb threat prompted a coordinated response by our FBI Detroit Joint Terrorism Task Force, in partnership with the Wayne County Airport Authority Police Department and the U.S. Federal Air Marshal Service, leading to the arrest of John Robinson as he attempted to board another flight at Detroit Metropolitan Airport,” Gibson continued.
Robinson has been released on a bond of $10,000 ahead of a criminal trial in a Michigan court.
Read the full criminal complaint here (PDF file):
