Man Who Called In Bomb Threat To Joel Osteen’s Church Indicted on Federal Terrorism Charges
Aaron Suppes appears in court. CBS news screen grab
A man who called in a bomb threat to Lakewood Church during their Christmas Eve service and threatened to release poisonous gas into the crowd has been indicted on federal terrorism charges. According to the Houston Chronicle:
A grand jury in Harris County on March 5 returned a felony indictment with one terroristic threat count, according to the one-page court document filed this week. The jury alleged that [Aaron] Suppes did “threaten to commit an offense involving violence” against Lakewood’s head of security, Bryce Alpe, “with the intent to place a substantial group of the public in fear of serious bodily injury.”
In Texas, a charge for terroristic threat is typically classified as a Class B misdemeanor and is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $2000 fine. However, those punishments can be increased to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine, depending on the target of the threat and the degree it caused people to fear for their lives.
During last year’s Christmas Eve service, the Houston Police Department responded to a bomb threat at Joel Osteen’s prosperity-gospel megachurch, where nearly 5000 worshipers were attending a candlelight service. The caller threatened to “blow up” the church using “sarin nerve gas.”
The church was evacuated, and officers located a bag near the entrance that supposedly contained the bomb but was simply filled with clothes and a few electronics. Using security cameras, they quickly zeroed in on who left the bag, and the suspect, who was still on site, was arrested.
According to reports, Aaron Suppes, 33, called the FBI tip line earlier that day and claimed he and his sister were being “microwaved” from overseas. He then called again and claimed he was going to blow up the church, prompting the evacuation and investigation.
Suppes, who is homeless and unemployed, was charged with issuing a terroristic threat, which is a felony, and had his bond set at $15,000.
Last year, an active shooter opened fire at the Texas megachurch, resulting in two injuries and the death of the perpetrator.
Ed. Note. Bracked first name added by us.
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