A man has been arrested after being accused of making a bomb threat against the University of Houston during a Zoom lecture.
Ibraheem Ahmed Al Bayati made an initial court appearance Tuesday in federal court in Houston.
Al Bayati, 19, was accused by federal authorities of joining a university lecture on Zoom on Sept. 2 and interrupting it by saying "what does any of this have to do with the fact that UH is about to get bombed in a few days?"
Al Bayati, who identified himself as Abu Qital al Jihadi al Mansur on the call, was also accused of uttering an Arabic a phrase that means the "Islamic State will remain," according to a criminal complaint.
Al Bayati, a US citizen who lives in Richmond, located about 30 miles southwest of Houston, told investigators the incident was a joke devised by him and a friend, according to the complaint.
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