Man arrested after making bomb threat near FBI building in Seattle

A 34-year-old is in custody after police said he made a bomb threat on Saturday near the FBI building in downtown Seattle, which forced the closure of several city blocks.

Police said the incident started when firefighters were called at 1:14 p.m. to the 300 block of Spring Street for a vehicle fire. Firefighters then requested police to order a tow truck after putting out a tire fire.

When police arrived at the scene, he told officers he intentionally set his vehicle on fire “to get the attention of police,” officials said. He also told them he had a bomb in the truck.

Police detained the man and quickly shut down several city blocks.

After shutting down nearby streets, police said they coordinated with the FBI to investigate the situation. The arson and bomb squads were called and examined the truck, and determined there was no bomb after deploying a robot.

During a briefing, the FBI said it was a false report.

Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said there has never been a time in his 24 years of law enforcement work that tensions and threat levels have been so high nationwide. He called the current threat levels “unprecedented.”

The man was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of bomb threats and will probably make a court appearance over the weekend, officials said.

BREAKING: @SeattlePD says the bomb scare near the @fbi was a FALSE report. He says there was a car fire and when rescuers arrived, the driver of the truck said he had a bomb inside the truck. Following massive precautionary measures, NO BOMB was found. pic.twitter.com/yv7qGflf93

— Ryan Simms (@RyanKIRO7) January 17, 2021