Peruvian Man Indicted For Making Bomb Threats To PA School Districts

NEW YORK, NY — A Peruvian man has been indicted for allegedly making more than 150 bomb threats this month in several states - including Pennsylvania, where he targeted school districts. Other institutions receiving threats include synagogues, airports, hospitals and a shopping mall.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York brought criminal charges against Eddie Manuel Nunez Santos, 33. The indictment alleges that the threats were made to retaliate against teenage girls who would not provide him with nude photos that he had requested.

Nunez Santos was arrested Tuesday by law enforcement authorities in Peru and is in custody while awaiting extradition to the United States.

"As alleged, the defendant’s relentless campaign of false bomb threats caused an immediate mobilization by federal and state authorities, diverting critical law enforcement and public safety resources, and caused fear in hundreds of communities across this country," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a release.

"The defendant allegedly engaged in this reprehensible and socially destructive conduct in a twisted attempt to retaliate against teenage girls who refused his requests for nude and sexually explicit photographs."

According to the indictment, Santos is accused of making the following threat to multiple Pennsylvania school districts on Sept. 19: "There are multiple bombs placed inside of all the schools from your school district. The bombs will blow up in a few hours. I will make sure everybody dies and rots from the bombs and then I’ll gladly smile seeing their families suffer."

The indictment alleges that the following threat was made to 24 additional school districts on Sept. 20: "I placed multiple bombs in all of the schools from your school districts. The bombs will blow up in a few hours. I’ll gladly smile when your families are crying because of your deaths.

The indictment does not identify the schools that were targeted. But it noted that on Sept. 20, more than 1,100 students across approximately 20 different schools were evacuated in Pennsylvania.

Similar threats were received in New York, Connecticut, Arizona and Alaska.

The threats also included references to particular phone numbers or a particular IP address and the targeted school districts were instructed to contact those numbers and the IP address. The FBI determined that those numbers and addresses were used by minor females, including two in Pennsylvania aged 13 and 17.

Each of those girls had engaged in online communications with Nunez Santos, who used the alias "Lucas" and claimed to be 15 years old. When the girls refused his photo requests or ceased communicating with him, Nunez threatened to bomb their schools or kill them.

Nunez Santos is charged with transmitting threatening interstate communications; conveying false information and hoaxes; attempting to sexually exploit a child; attempting to coerce and entice a minor and attempting to receive child pornography.

The coercion charge has a maximum sentence of life in prison.