Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening to Blow up Statue of Liberty

A man plead guilty to describing himself as a terrorist and threatening to blow up the Statue of Liberty. He’s also accused of making threats about attacking Times Square and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Monday in Southern District of New York Court, 42-year-old Jason Paul Smith plead guilty to one count of conveying false and misleading information and hoaxes.

According to court documents on April 24, 2015, Smith started a call to the emergency 911 system from his iPad using a service that assists hearing-impaired individuals with making and receiving telephone calls.

In the 911 call, Smith called himself “Abdul Yasin,” described himself as an “ISI terrorist,” and threatened that “we” are preparing to “blow up” the Statue of Liberty.

Law enforcement officers responded to the threat, evacuated more than 3,200 people from the Statue of Liberty, and conducted a sweep of the areas in and around the Statue of Liberty and Liberty Island with the aid of canine units trained to detect explosives.

Later authorities determined Smith’s threat was unsubstantiated.

Officials say the iPad registered in Smith’s name has been used in the past to make other 911 calls, including at least two calls in May 2015 from a user who identified himself as “Isis allah Bomb maker” and who threatened to attack Times Square and kill police officers at the Brooklyn Bridge.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on September 6. He faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.