Federal officials said an Arizona man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly emailing a threat to bomb the White House and other sites in Washington, D.C.
Jacob Aaron Hicks, 46, of Tucson, faces a federal charge of transmitting an interstate threat to cause injury, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
The criminal complaint alleges that Hicks contacted a Tucson television station on Sept. 23 and warned of an “imminent bomb strike against the White House and other locations in Washington, D.C.”
The station reported the message to law enforcement, setting off an investigation into the alleged threat.
Investigators eventually determined that Hicks was allegedly behind the email, authorities said.
“We must take threats of violence like this one seriously,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said in a statement.
Courchaine thanked the Tucson news station for promptly notifying authorities and praised the FBI for responding “quickly, professionally and with the level of commitment it required.”
During the investigation, officials said they found more email drafts in an account associated with Hicks.
The drafts were also dated Sept. 23 and had reportedly been prepared for other news organizations. Authorities said they included similar threats against the White House and other Washington, D.C., locations.
The FBI is handling the case with support from the U.S. Secret Service.
Rebecca Day, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Phoenix, credited the station for helping bring the alleged threat to investigators’ attention.
“We appreciate the community partner who reported the threat to law enforcement. Cooperation and partnership are essential to protecting the American people,” Day said.
Hicks made his first appearance in federal court Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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