A man of Cuban origin who was about to board an American Airlines flight to Camagüey was arrested this Monday at Miami International Airport after telling the boarding agent that he had a bomb in his luggage.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office reported that the arrested individual is Yoel Guevara Crespo, 33 years old and a resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana. According to the arrest report, Guevara Crespo is of Cuban nationality.
The man responded to the standard security questions with a statement that cost him his trip and his freedom. When the agent asked if he was carrying lithium batteries or incendiary devices, he said, "No, but I have a bomb."
The employee immediately informed him that he would not be able to board flight AA1319 and that she would contact her supervisor. Guevara Crespo claimed it was a joke, but the authorities activated the full protocol.
The security agents went to the boarding gate and took him into custody without incident. A K-9 dog checked his luggage, with negative results.
The detained individual was transferred to the airport station where he made a full confession. Subsequently, he was admitted to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $2,500 bond.
This incident occurred just 24 hours after an almost identical episode involving another Cuban at the same airport.
On Sunday, Osniel Blanco López, a 52-year-old resident of Miami, was arrested at the American Airlines ticket counter after telling an employee in Spanish, "I have a grenade," and laughing.
The worker warned him, "This is not a joke," and alerted the authorities, who also conducted a K-9 search with negative results. Blanco López was arrested on the same charge: false report of bomb placement.
Blanco López had already been released from jail this Tuesday, while Guevara Crespo remained in custody, as reported by Telemundo 51.
A few days before the arrest of Blanco López, aman from Hialeah had been detained for a similar threat.
These recent cases join a pattern of false threats of explosive devices in Miami-Dade that has become recurrent throughout 2026.
In January of this year, the Cuban Eulalio Felipe Orama, 49 years old and residing in Houston, was arrested at MIA after saying the word "bomb" during the boarding of an American Airlines flight.
Since mid-March, a wave of false threats has impacted shopping malls, hospitals, zoos, and airports in the region, resulting in approximately 148 canceled flights and 185 delayed flights.
Under Florida Statute 790.163, making a false bomb threat, even if the perpetrator claims it was a joke, constitutes a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to $10,000, regardless of whether there is any actual explosive.
Related videos:
Filed under: