By The newspaper
28 Sep 2023, 17:34 PM EDT
A Peruvian man has been arrested and charged with sending more than 150 hoax bomb threats to various targets across the United States.
Eddie Manuel Núñez Santos, a 33-year-old Peruvian website developer, is at the center of these accusations and according to the BBC, Peruvian authorities detained him in Lima, and the United States Department of Justice was closely involved in the process.
Núñez Santos is accused of unleashing a wave of fear by sending false bomb threats earlier this month. These threats, directed at a variety of targets, including schools, synagogues, and public buildings, led to evacuations and disruptions on a significant scale.
Videos and images on social networks have shown the moment in which Núñez Santos is arrested, wearing an Interpol bulletproof vest.
Núñez Santos allegedly assumed a false identity, presenting himself as a teenager named “Lucas,” according to the BBC. Operating within the confines of an online gaming platform, he communicated with teenage girls.
Shockingly, prosecutors say he requested explicit photographs from at least two of these girls, including a 15-year-old. When these young people rejected her demands, she resorted to bomb threats against their schools.
On September 15, the FBI began receiving a flood of email threats targeting public buildings in several states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Arizona, and Alaska.
In particular, these threats extended their ominous reach to New York-area synagogues during Rosh Hashanah, a sacred Jewish holiday. The messages contained chilling warnings about homemade bombs that would detonate within hours, endangering countless innocent lives.
Two days later, schools in Pennsylvania began receiving similar threats, and one incident led to the evacuation of more than 1,100 students at 20 different schools. The domino effect spread to airports, hospitals and even a shopping mall.
The resulting panic prompted a forceful response, with police deployments, school evacuations and closures, flight delays and even hospital closures.
While Núñez Santos may have believed he could remain anonymous, investigators proved otherwise. They were able to track down the emails, phone numbers and IP addresses linked to the bomb threats, eventually connecting them to Núñez’s work email.
In light of the evidence and the seriousness of the case, five charges have been revealed against Núñez Santos. These charges include charges of sending threatening and deceptive messages, attempted sexual exploitation of a child, and attempted receipt of child pornography.
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