A man was indicted for an alleged bomb hoax on a Carnival Cruise Line ship.
Joshua Darrell Lowe II is charged with making a false bomb threat, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan said Wednesday.
The cruise line received an email from Lowe in January stating that “someone might have a bomb” on its Carnival Sunrise ship, according to a news release. The vessel was on its way to Jamaica from Miami, Florida, at the time.
The ship’s crew searched more than 1,000 cabins and notified the U.S. Coast Guard and authorities in Jamaica, receiving a Marine Police escort to port.
“We take every threat of mass violence seriously,” Mark Totten, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, said in the release. “Hoaxes can endanger lives, incur needless costs, and divert public safety resources needed to address real threats. My office has zero tolerance for wrongdoers who intentionally convey false and misleading information that prompts a law enforcement response.”
Lowe, who is from Bailey, Michigan, faces up to five years in prison if convicted. The 19-year-old will also have to pay restitution for costs resulting from the hoax.
Court documents did not list an attorney for Lowe. Carnival did not immediately provide a comment before publishing.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating.
“Bomb threats are not a laughing matter and are extremely irresponsible,” Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, added. “When individuals make false hoax threats, they divert critical law enforcement resources and spread unnecessary fear.”
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at [email protected].