Gerardo Manuel Checo Nunez Charged in FBI HQ Bomb Hoax

Gerardo Manuel Checo Nunez, a Queens man, was arrested Wednesday, November 17, 2021, after allegedly making a hoax bomb threat at the FBI’s New York headquarters inside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. The threat, delivered in person at a secured FBI Police booth, triggered a full-scale emergency response, including evacuation of nearby buildings and deployment of explosive detection units.

Checo Nunez slammed a printed copy of a prior online complaint against the security screen, claiming a foreign government had hacked his accounts and was extorting him. He then declared he had an improvised explosive device (IED) in his vehicle—referred to as Vehicle-1—and wanted to turn himself in. After being questioned by the FBI Police, he was taken into custody when he confirmed the presence of the device.

Members of the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) quickly interviewed Checo Nunez, who admitted there was no bomb. He stated he fabricated the threat because the FBI had ignored his previous hacking complaints and he wanted attention. He provided a description of Vehicle-1, a full-size cargo van parked across the street on Worth Street near Lafayette Street, close to a closed coffee shop and a residential apartment building.

Despite being a hoax, law enforcement treated the threat as credible. The area surrounding Vehicle-1 was immediately evacuated and sealed off to both pedestrians and vehicles. A visible NYPD and FBI presence locked down the perimeter, and explosive-sniffing units, including at least one law enforcement helicopter, were deployed to assess the scene and ensure public safety.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams condemned the act: “As alleged, the defendant’s bomb threat caused an immediate mobilization by the FBI and the NYPD appropriate for a real explosive device. Hoax or not, a bomb threat requires the diversion of valuable law enforcement and public safety resources, and causes genuine fear in the public. The defendant now faces a serious federal charge for his alleged conduct.”

FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Michael J. Driscoll and NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea echoed the severity of the crime. Driscoll emphasized that even false threats put officers in danger and waste taxpayer resources. Shea warned, “In a city that has experienced more than 50 terrorist plots and four attacks, making a claim that you have a bomb at a government building is no joke.” Checo Nunez was presented before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang in Manhattan federal court and faces federal charges for making a false threat.

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