Tucson Man Charged Over Alleged White House Bomb Threat

Federal prosecutors charged Jacob Aaron Hicks, 46, of Tucson, with making an interstate threat to injure after a local news station reported receiving an email threatening bombings at the White House and other locations in Washington, according to a criminal complaint. Hicks was arrested Wednesday, October 7, and made his initial appearance in federal court on Thursday, October 8. The charge is based on an alleged threat; the supplied court and prosecution accounts do not say explosives were found or an attack was attempted. The charge is an accusation, and Hicks is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The complaint says a Tucson news station received the email on September 23 and referred it to law enforcement. The message allegedly described an imminent bomb strike against the White House and other sites in the capital. Prosecutors say investigators identified Hicks as the alleged sender and found unsent drafts in the same email account, also dated September 23, addressed to other news organizations and containing similar threats. The FBI is investigating with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.