Man Arrested for Allegedly Calling in a Fake Bomb Threat After He Missed His Spirit Airlines Flight at Detroit Airport

A man was arrested after he allegedly called in a fake bomb threat when he missed his Spirit Airlines flight.

Charles Robinson planned to travel from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport to Los Angeles on Thursday, June 5, “but missed the flight and was told at the gate that he needed to rebook,” according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan.

Robinson, 23, then allegedly proceeded to call Spirit Airlines at approximately 6:25 a.m. to report a threat, stating that he had “information” about how there would “be someone who’s gonna try to blow up the airport” and “there’s gonna be someone that’s gonna try to blow up that flight, 2145,” officials said.

He allegedly also gave a description of an individual, telling Spirit Airlines, per the attorney’s office, “They’re going to be carrying a bomb through the TSA” and “They’re still threatening to do it, they’re still attempted to do it, they said it’s not going to be able to be detected.  Please don’t let that flight board.” 

The district attorney’s office said the flight was immediately postponed, and passengers and crew were subsequently deplaned.

Bomb sniffing dogs and FBI agents were then “deployed to sweep the airplane,” but no “bomb or explosives were found,” according to the news release.

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When Robinson eventually returned to the airport to board another flight, he was detained, the district attorney’s office said.

He later appeared in federal court, where he was released on bond. His next court appearance is set for June 27.

“No American wants to hear the words ‘bomb’ and ‘airplane’ in the same sentence. Making this kind of threat undermines our collective sense of security and wastes valuable law enforcement resources,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon said in a statement. 

“Anyone who threatens to bomb an aircraft and endanger public safety will be swiftly investigated and brought to justice,” added Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office.

The FBI continues to investigate the incident. 

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Joci Moore, one of the passengers of the flight, recalled the harrowing incident to CBS News. She said the plane had begun to back away from the gate when the captain told them that they were “being held up.” 

“So something at the gate had happened,” she told the outlet. “You could just kind of feel something was wrong, but we didn’t really know what was wrong.”

Moore added that passengers were left on the plane for three hours before they were then asked to exit the plane without their belongings. She said they were then taken back to the terminal and waited an additional two hours before they could board the plane again after it was inspected and cleared by police.

In a statement to PEOPLE, a Spirt Airlines spokesperson said, “Law enforcement was requested to meet Spirit Airlines flight 2145 (DTW-LAX) prior to departure from Detroit (DTW) due to a potential security issue.”

“The aircraft taxied to a remote location, and guests were safely deplaned and transported back to the terminal. The guests were rescreened, and the aircraft was inspected and cleared by law enforcement,” they continued.

Added the airline’s spokesperson: “The safety of our guests and team members is our top priority, and the flight reboarded and departed to Los Angeles (LAX).”