Fake bomb alert ends in caller’s arrest

Federal authorities say a 35-year-old Waianae man made a false complaint against a romantic rival, accusing him of trying to board a plane leaving Honolulu with a bomb.

FBI agents arrested Jose Sergio Medrano Gutierrez in Honolulu on Monday. He was charged Friday with violating Title 18, Section 1038, which covers false information and hoaxes.

Gutierrez admitted to FBI agents he made a false statement that the husband of a woman he was interested in had carried explosives onto an airplane because he was angry at the man and was trying to keep him away from the man's wife, according to court documents.

An FBI special agent said Gutierrez was romantically interested in the man's wife and was trying to get him deported.

Gutierrez allegedly called 911 on Dec. 14 and claimed that the man was boarding a plane from Honolulu to Los Angeles that day using a fake driver's license and that he had explosives in his luggage.

The 911 operator determined the anonymous call was made from Mikiula Grocery in Waianae.

The caller said that a man traveling with a false or stolen driver's license was traveling from Honolulu to Los Angeles, authorities said. The man was removed from the flight, along with the rest of the passengers, who were rescreened through security.

The man's luggage was searched and no explosives were found.

Gutierrez reportedly ran an automobile repair and resale business near the Waianae pay phone from which the call was made.