A former TSA worker has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly making several threats while working as a security screener at Los Angeles International Airport.
Nna Alpha Onuoha, 29, was arrested shortly before midnight Tuesday in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, and remains in custody,
the Associated Press reported.
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Authorities say a man, believed to be Onuoha, made two phone calls recently to the TSA advising that certain airport terminals be evacuated. The terminals were cleared and searched, and no threats were found.
On Wednesday, authorities searched Onuoha's minivan, after clearing out the Harvest Christian Fellowship Church's parking lot where the vehicle was parked. A bomb squad robot was also dispatched to make sure there were no bombs in the automobile.
The FBI also searched the former TSA employee's apartment in Inglewood, near Los Angeles International Airport, where they recovered a note that reportedly included numerous unspecified threats involving the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack on Wednesday.
There were no harmful materials recovered at the man's apartment or inside the airport, according to the FBI.
Though the details of the letter and phone calls were not released by the FBI, in at least one of the threats, the caller reportedly told authorities that he would "be watching" to make sure the terminals were evacuated.
Onuoha had already quit his job with the TSA before he was arrested by the FBI, the AP notes.
Authorities also reportedly found an eight-page letter in which Onuoha expressed disdain for the United States and referenced an event that led to a recent suspension from the job he had held since 2006, the FBI said. It was not clear early Wednesday what the incident had been, the AP noted.
In light of the arrest and threats, patrols by uniformed officers in and around the airports were increased on Wednesday, according to Los Angeles Airport Police Chief Patrick M. Gannon,
NBC Los Angeles reported.
Onuoha is being held on suspicion of making terrorist threats — a violation of both federal and state law — pending additional investigation, according to the FBI.
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