Vermont man arrested for leaving ‘bomb' at JFK

A 55-year-old man has been charged with disrupting air traffic and causing a panic at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport by leaving a knapsack unattended in a public area with a threatening message directed at the FBI scrawled on the bag.
&#8220Due to the heightened awareness of terrorist activity in this country and especially in this city, the safety of its citizens is a top priority and is taken very seriously,” said District Attorney Richard A. Brown. &#8220We will not tolerate pranks of any sort that needlessly divert law enforcement personnel from their critical responsibilities and possibly put lives in danger.”
The defendant, Peter Gonick, of Vermont is being held pending arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on a charge of placing a false bomb or hazardous substance in a sports stadium or arena, mass transportation facility or enclosed shopping mall.  He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
According to the criminal charges, an unattended knapsack  bearing a threatening message was found by authorities between two cars in parking lot one at JFK Airport.  As a result, Terminals 1, 2 and 3 were closed and the JFK Air-Train was shut down for approximately five hours.
The NYPD Bomb Squad, in responding to the scene and observing  X-ray images of the knapsack – which showed what appeared to be possible wires, a metal can and a type of antenna inside – used a water cannon to detonate the bag.  
Upon detonation, a white powder exploded from the bag.
Brown said that the wires inside the bag were not explosive and that there was no bomb inside the bag. The powder substance was analyzed and determined to be flour.
The defendant was arrested when papers allegedly recovered from the bag contained the defendant’s name.