Thaindian News

By Michael van Poppel
PORT CANAVERAL, FLORIDA (THAINDIAN NEWS) — A 31-year-old Virginia man who was shouting “we are Jihad” and threatened with a bomb aboard a cruise ship was arrested at a port in Florida on Sunday, authorities said.

Heating and air conditioning salesman Ibrahim Khalil Zarou, 31, was arrested by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and charged with false reporting of a bomb threat. He was later released on $10,000 bond.

The incident happened around 4 a.m. EDT aboard Carnival Cruise Lines’ Sensation, which had about 3,740 passengers and crew onboard. Passengers reported hearing Zarou should: ‘We are Jihad,” and “come to the to pdeck and watch the bomb.”

The Coast Guard cutter Shrike was called in to assist after the threat was reported to ship personnel. Shrike brought U.S. Coast Guard, FBI and other law enforcement officials onboard the vessel, which was heading to Port Canaveral.

After a security zone was established, the ship was searched and later allowed to proceed to Port Canaveral, where an additional bomb search was conducted using bomb-sniffing dogs. Eyewitnesses were also interviewed, as well as the suspect.

The Sensation cruise ship was just returning from a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas, and reports say Zarou - who is of Leesburg, Virginia - was part of a party of 12.

While the threat may seem minor, it sparked a massive response. A Unified Command post was established in the port. The following agencies were on scene: United States Coast Guard, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), the Port Canaveral Police Department, Canaveral Fire and Rescue, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Federal Air Marshal’s Service, as well as Carnival Cruise Line.

No bomb was find and the passengers were allowed to leave the ship at around 10.45 a.m. local time, about 5 hours later than scheduled.

The ship embarked on its new trip on Sunday evening.