India Man to Serve 2 Years' Probation for False SFO Bomb Threat

An India national pleaded no contest Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of making a false bomb threat last year at San Francisco International Airport, San Mateo County prosecutors said Wednesday.

San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Lee sentenced Ganapathy Prabhu to two years of probation and two days in jail with credit for time served, according to prosecutors.

Prabhu walked up to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer on Nov. 16, 2014, and said “I have a bomb,” prosecutors said.

The officer asked Prabhu for his passport and said, “Did you really say that?” according to prosecutors.

Prabhu didn’t respond and looked blankly at the officer, prosecutors and defense attorney Ryan McHugh said.

More officers and the FBI responded and a flight to Dubai was delayed as authorities searched Prabhu’s bags, according to prosecutors.

Authorities did not find a bomb and Prabhu later told investigators he had too much to drink and was joking, prosecutors said.

“He froze,” McHugh said.

McHugh said the situation wasn’t as serious as police and prosecutors made it out to be.

McHugh said Prabhu didn’t understand how to interact with the police, since he was from a different country.

Instead, he elicited some alarms because he didn’t respond, McHugh said.

He feels sorry it caused security concerns and he hopes something like this never happens again, McHugh said.

Prabhu must stay away from the airport unless he has a ticket to fly and was also ordered to pay more than $700 in fines and fees, according to prosecutors.

--Bay City News Service, photo via Shutterstock