Man accused of making bomb threat at Miami International Airport ticket counter

MIAMI – A Mexican national was arrested at Miami International Airport on Saturday after allegedly making a bomb threat while checking in for his flight, authorities said.

Javier Salazar, 66, was taken into custody at the Volaris ticket counter shortly after 2 p.m. after he told an airline agent that he had a bomb in his suitcase, according to a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office report.

The ticket counter agent was conducting routine security questions when Salazar made the statement.

When the agent warned him that such comments were not allowed in an airport, he claimed he was joking, according to the arrest report.

Airport security was alerted and a K-9 unit conducted a sweep of Salazar’s luggage and the surrounding area, which yielded no explosive materials.

Salazar was detained and transported to the MDSO airport station, where he waived his Miranda rights and provided a written statement, authorities said.

Salazar was later booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a charge of making a false report about an explosive device.

Under Florida law, making a false bomb threat is a second-degree felony.