On Saturday, 41-year-old Carlos Balsas was arrested for threatening to blow up the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. Balsas reportedly told security guards at the historic site that he had a backpack full of explosives. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Tempe, AZ native casually said "I have explosives in there" when he handed his backpack over for a security check.
Balsas was tackled by National Park Service rangers, and two additional black backpacks were found in front of a scooter store in the immediate area. Though local authorities were forced to close off a segment of the area while a bomb squad conducted a thorough investigation, no explosives were found.
On Sunday, Balsas was charged with making terroristic threats, possessing an instrument of crime and reckless endangerment. He was reportedly an assistant professor at Arizona State University from 2004 until 2011. The U.S. Attorney's Office is expected to pick the investigation up today.
[via NY Daily News]
