Man charged after threat to MacDill AFB in Florida
A Florida man has been charged after authorities said he threatened MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, where the FBI is also investigating a suspicious package containing what it described as possible energetic materials.
Jonathan James Elder, 35, of Palm Harbor, was arrested Monday and is accused of making a threat by means of fire or an explosive, according to a federal criminal complaint cited by the Tampa Bay Times.
The newspaper reported that the charge stems from a March 18 phone call to MacDill, two days after a suspicious package was found outside the base’s visitor center near the Dale Mabry Gate. According to the complaint, Elder called a main number at the base and was routed to an employee in the 6th Medical Group shortly after 9 a.m.
He allegedly asked, “How did you like the surprise at the MacDill Visitors Center?” and then yelled, “tick tick boom, it’s gonna be between your eyes” before hanging up, the Times reported. The employee reported the call, and the base later issued a shelter-in-place order.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that authorities traced the March 18 call to Elder’s phone and used cell-site data to place him in relevant locations in the days before the threat. The newspaper said Elder later admitted making the call and asked investigators whether they had “enjoyed the pipe bomb” at the front gate.
According to the complaint cited by the Times, Elder has a history of similar threats and was taken to a mental health facility under Florida’s Baker Act after he was interviewed. The complaint also said he had previously made threats to shoot people and build pipe bombs.
The FBI said last week that field screening of the package found outside MacDill on March 16 identified “possible energetic materials,” but officials have not released additional information.
The Tampa Bay Times also reported Monday that the FBI had widened its investigation to include an anonymous video sent to the newspaper that claimed responsibility for planting a bomb near MacDill.
In the 3-minute, 14-second video, a person shown in silhouette and speaking through what appeared to be a voice filter laid out a timeline of threats against the base and claimed a bomb had been placed near MacDill on March 10 but failed to detonate.
The speaker, who repeatedly used “we,” said those involved had “taken actions to rectify this” and claimed to be part of a political group opposed to the U.S. war in Iran and the Department of Homeland Security’s deportation efforts, according to the newspaper.
It was not clear whether the man who was arrested is also the person who sent the anonymous video.
MacDill is home to U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM, the military command overseeing operations in the Middle East, including current U.S. military action involving Iran.
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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
