An Arizona man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly sending an email threatening to carry out bombings at the White House and other locations in Washington, D.C., federal officials said.
Jacob Aaron Hicks, 46, of Tucson, was charged with making an interstate threat to injure, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced.
According to a criminal complaint, Hicks allegedly emailed a local Tucson television station Sept. 23, claiming there would be an “imminent bomb strike against the White House and other locations in Washington, D.C.”
After receiving the email, the station alerted law enforcement, prompting an investigation into the threat.
Authorities said they later identified Hicks as the alleged sender of the email.
“We must take threats of violence like this one seriously,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in a statement.
“I am grateful to our local news station for referring this threat to law enforcement and to the FBI for addressing the situation quickly, professionally and with the level of commitment it required.”
According to federal officials, investigators also discovered additional email drafts in the account linked to Hicks.
Officials said the drafts, also dated Sept. 23, were addressed to other news organizations and contained similar threats involving the White House and other locations in Washington, D.C.
The FBI is leading the investigation with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service.
FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day credited the news station for alerting authorities to the threat.
“We appreciate the community partner who reported the threat to law enforcement. Cooperation and partnership are essential to protecting the American people,” Day said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Hicks made his initial appearance in federal court Thursday.
