The Ted Stevens International Airport was shut down for about three hours at around midnight on Sunday after a passenger made a joke about a bomb in a suitcase. The Anchorage Daily News reports that 44-year-old Peter Friesema, a hockey referee from Colorado, joked that his friend’s bag could have a bomb in it. The airport was evacuated, people were stuck waiting in the cold, and about half a dozen flights were impacted. Friesema was arraigned on Sunday, and the judge, deeming him a flight risk, said that he could not leave the state. He is charged with making terrorist threats and with disorderly conduct.
Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her atahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Annehere.
